Moonlit Blood
by Milky Etoile
Summary: Somewhat AU-Kuroba Kaito thought he was as normal as a magician phantom thief could be…until he gets an unexplainable urge to bite Edogawa Conan at a heist—literally. Vamp!Kaito, ShinKai
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** Kuroba Kaito thought he was as normal as a magician phantom thief could be…until he gets an unexplainable urge to bite Edogawa Conan at a heist—literally. Vamp!Kaito, KaiShin

**A/N:** So…I finally decided to post something after…two years? Erm, yeah. This is rather sudden. To those who read my other fics and are actually waiting for updates, I assure you that I'm currently revising them, not abandoning them. I only ask you to be patient as I am also a college student trying hard to deal with majors all at the same time. Science may be interesting but it gets tiring after some time, you know?

As for this story…I've been itching to write a KaiShin fic in _ages_ and…_**StargateNerd**_ suggested something along the lines of Kaito being a vampire and having to drink Conan's blood. A scene came into my head the moment she suggested that. And, as usual, my mind decided to make everything mixed and messed up. So…there may be a few remote similarities to _DNAngel_ and, possibly, a vague relation to _Harry Potter_ fics. I would apologize for my imagination's eccentric quirks…but as annoying as it is, I'm proud of it :P

Let me warn you: some parts pertaining to the whole vampire thing may not be like what you know. I will tell you now that aside from a few fanfiction (mostly in HP), _Hellsing_ is the only reference I have to vampire information.

And since I have no net access while writing this, I've no means to check facts and all…so everything will be made up. If you do not like what I my muse came up with, you're free to leave a review with a comment or suggestion.

…if this becomes longer than what I anticipated it to be, BLAME STARGATENERD! She gladly takes all the responsibility for whatever insanity may ensue in this fic. Right, SG-chan? XD –dodges bullet- HAH!

**Disclaimer:** Gosho Aoyama owns Detective Conan/Magic Kaito. Now, let me wallow in self-pity for not owning Shin-chan & Kai-chan! XP

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**Moonlit Blood**  
Chapter One  
By Milky Étoile

It was yet another successful heist for Kaitou KID. He had just managed to fool the KID task force into heading the opposite direction that he was going. And if they all happened to get caught in some form of trap… _well_, that was just a bonus, right?

As he ran towards his escape route, he idly wondered where Tantei-san was, seeing as he wasn't present for the whole day, or the past week at school.

Well, no matter. Tantei-_kun_ was sure to be around. He was sure that the short detective was in the building, having spotted him earlier while looking around under his disguise.

He was startled out of his musings when an unexpected question came through the receiver he'd stolen from an officer earlier for the aforementioned disguise.

_"KID. Are you sure what you have in your hands is the real Bloody Moonlight?"_

He immediately recognized it to be Tantei-kun's. He was astonished enough to take out the jewel that was his target for the night. And, indeed, after a closer inspection, he realized as the detective implied that it was merely a good replica. Possibly partly made from the exact same gemstone Bloody Moonlight was constructed from: ruby.

_"I'm sure you've realized by now,"_ Tantei-kun spoke once more. His smug drawl infuriated KID for a moment. He had the _gall_ to copy _his_ intonation when taunting _his_ adversaries!

He managed to find the correct frequency of the radio that the message came from in a matter of a minute. He responded in an obviously (to him anyway) controlled manner, "It seems that someone else decided to be a _thief_ tonight, Tantei-kun."

His statement earned the desired effect as evident when his rival retorted in a gruff tone, _"_Don't_ put me in the same category as you, _thief_. It was done with the permission of the owner."_

The phantom thief wondered how the detective gained permission but brushed off his query for now. "Well, then, Tantei-kun…will _you_ tell me where you've hidden my target for tonight? You've managed to take me off my schedule for thirteen minutes and twenty-four seconds already." He swore to himself that he didn't sound frustrated.

Tantei-kun's reply clearly told him that he only tried in vain to lie to himself. _"Who says I hid it?"_

Kaitou KID's mind reeled with what could have possibly been done to the jewel. He was interrupted by that now-really-annoying voice of Edogawa Conan.

_"Why don't you try to recall your escape plan for the night and see if the mouse can become the cat too?"_

Once he processed what had been said, he hastily entered the room that he was to get out of through the window in time to see that the short detective was already past halfway of the string he had rigged earlier. It led to the next building that had a much higher rooftop than the current one. Apparently, the detective had been able to deduce how his hang glider depended on the air currents and would therefore need the higher altitude to ensure that he would not bump into anything unpleasant.

As he positioned himself to follow on the string, he raised an eyebrow at the open window. He was sure that he hadn't unlocked that earlier. His smirk returned then. Now he was sure that the detective could give him quite the run for his money if he wished to be put in the _same category_ Kaitou KID was in.

"Are you sure you're meant to be a detective, _Tantei-kun_?" He was able to handle sliding through the string while speaking through the radio. "You're showing so many skills for _my_ trade."

"Are you recruiting me, Kaitou KID?"

The thief looked ahead at that and was surprised to see Conan casually leaning on the windowsill with a pair of scissors held to the string…he immediately paled. Cursing his rival inwardly, he shifted his body weight to make himself move faster.

Unfortunately for him, he wasn't fast enough—Conan cut the taut string before he was five feet from the window. The string recoiled to the other end in what seemed to be slow motion for the thief. He gritted his teeth and nimbly jumped the distance. He couldn't make it to the targeted window but grabbed onto the ledge of the one below. Miraculously, his top hat did not fall from his head.

"Alele," a very young voice came from above. "You should be more careful, thief-san. We don't want you dying off-schedule, do we?"

It was Conan with what struck KID as a smirk similar to _his_ own. It was enough to make him pull himself up and open the window he was in front of, picking the lock to do so (which, of course, wasn't hard at all). Not even bothering to look back up through the window, he ran up the flight of stairs nearby. He paused on the floor that Conan was in earlier to look to the window—which was now closed. He was stopped in mid-curse by the loud sound of footsteps somewhere above him. Recognizing the producer of the sound, he continued his way up the stairs—to the roof where _he_ usually made his escape. He somehow found it ironic that it was _him_ doing the chasing now. The _mouse_ becoming the _cat_ indeed. Tantei-kun surely knew how to be a challenge.

He was _thrilled _though. If this was how the detective felt every time he chased him, maybe he should let himself be "outwitted" more often then? Or maybe he should try to get their roles of thief and detective switched?

With a grin, he opened the door that led to the rooftop, almost expecting Conan to do the taunting for this heist. He _did_ get bragging rights for outwitting _the_ Kaitou KID, even for only some minutes.

But he was startled to hear a shout instead.

"DUCK, KID!"

Instinctively following the order, KID heard the clang of a bullet hitting a metal pole to his left. Eyes widening, he immediately turned his head towards the direction the projectile came from. Seeing no one in that corner, he looked further, past the ledge, and spotted a black-clad figure. He pointed his card-gun and pulled the trigger, not even considering that his target was on the next building's rooftop, more than ten meters away. The person ducked the precisely aimed card and managed to get away in haste.

KID didn't let his guard down as he put away his card gun and scanned the surrounding buildings for any other suspicious movement. Finding none, he looked around the rooftop he was on, remembering the one who had warned him in time. He quickly spotted the short silhouette beside a 4-feet high box that he assumed to be a generator. The phantom thief let out a gasp when the metallic scent of blood assaulted his senses.

"Sorry, KID," Conan muttered with a forced grin as he clutched his bleeding right arm tightly in a vain attempt to stop the flow. "Seems like I can't continue our game of cat and mouse tonight."

For a moment, the white-dressed thief stared, frozen by the somehow amplifying smell of the blood. He couldn't help but notice that it _enticed_ something inside him, and his mind didn't even register that his policy of no one getting hurt was violated. Instead, his head was being flooded with the desire to—

KID fiercely shook his head in a vain attempt to clear it of the strange and inappropriate images that assaulted it. It wasn't good that he suddenly had the urge to… to _bite_ Conan, possibly even _maul_ him.

While he was having an internal battle, he didn't notice the detective stepping towards him in faint concern for the thief. He was astonished and almost jumped when Conan asked, "Are you okay, KID? You're not afraid of blood, are you?"

Taking a deep breath, the thief considered retorting that no, he wasn't afraid of blood but actually _wanted_ it so much at the moment for some odd reason that he would bite someone to draw it from the person. He restrained himself though and replied in a neutral tone, "Shouldn't I be asking you that, Tantei-kun? You're _bleeding_." The urge to hit himself for his stupidity shortly overrode the urge to move closer to his rival.

Apparently, Conan agreed with his opinion concerning his own idiocy, as he was fixed with a deadpanned gaze. "Thanks for telling me, Mr. Obvious. I didn't even notice," he drawled. He shook his head and peered at him through his large glasses. "It's just a flesh wound, I'll manage."

KID cleared his throat. "Nonetheless, you need to be treated immediately." He idly wondered why the detective didn't even seemed concerned that he was losing a fair amount of blood, effectively reminding him that he _still_ wished to have the boy's blood. _Literally_.

For a moment, neither of them was concerned with moving from their places. They were in the building next to where Kaitou KID had stolen the fake Bloody Moonlight—faintly reminding him of how the boy had actually _outwitted_ him that night.

The thief was silent as he used every ounce of self-control that he had to prevent himself from harming Conan further. He managed to force himself to procure a whole first-aid kit from some pocket while ignoring the kid's piercing blue-eyed gaze. He approached Conan with a trepidation that he did not show.

"Perhaps you should let me repay your earlier assistance," he said with a smirk that he easily mustered at the sight of the detective slightly gaping at his first-aid kit, possibly in wonder of how he managed to bring such a box around. He made no comments about it however and only proceeded to do his self-appointed task. As he drew near Conan, he easily noticed the tensing of the younger male. He ignored that too—it was obvious that the other was anxious since they were still on the opposite sides of the law. He would feel the same way if their roles were _really _switched.

Unfortunately, even with idle musing, he could not help his eyes from darting towards Conan's wound. It was clear where it was as the boy kept a hand on his uncovered arm. He vaguely noted that Conan had enough sense to remove his usual jacket. His observations were not enough to quell the weird urge though—it _worsened_, enough that he'd had to pause for a moment as a shudder passed through his body in his effort to keep himself from attempting to drink the dripping blood…

He may not understand where the sudden urges came from and why they even existed, but he was pretty sure that even for a magician and phantom thief, they were not normal. And he instinctively knew that he might end up hurting someone if he let those urges get the better of him.

He was so deep into his thoughts that he didn't realize he'd been sitting in front of Conan already and staring morbidly at the slow but steady flow of red liquid from the other's arm. He reluctantly turned his gaze towards the detective's face when he heard a clearing of throat. He was expecting to see an amused or maybe irritated look upon that smaller face. He did not expect a curious one.

"I wasn't aware you held some fascination for blood," Conan remarked, not a trace of discomfort in his tone. If KID hadn't seen his injury, he'd have thought the boy was perfectly fine.

"I wasn't aware I had one," was his curt reply. KID fixed Conan with a stare for a moment, raising an eyebrow when the other's blue eyes had widened in surprise. The boy quickly recovered and presented him with his blank stare, making the thief wonder how his rival had gotten a poker face that was enough to match his. He forced himself to return to the task that he had delayed long enough.

Conan did not have any qualms about it and only stayed silent as he removed his small hand from over the wound. The sight of the injury was enough to distract KID from just the blood itself. The wound was about two centimeters long and was open. Conan's evaluation of his own injury was probably incorrect; it didn't seem like a mere flesh wound—unless it was an unusually large one. The gash was probably deep enough to cause so much bleeding but not too much that it would have reached any muscle or nerve. The high temperature of the bullet that made the wound would have helped in making it worse. It probably needed stitches.

He felt the detective's gaze on him when he finally moved to take off his white gloves that surely had traces of some chemicals that were utilized in his tricks. It wouldn't do to aggravate the wound by contamination.

However, when he turned back and knelt down to tend to Conan's wound with his supplies, he couldn't prevent himself from staring blatantly at the amount of blood that was flowing from it. An injury like that wasn't supposed to release _that much_, was it? Unfortunately for him, any concern he had was forgotten in lieu of that desire to just taste that red liquid became larger. He didn't even register the resigned sigh that the detective let out.

"If you didn't want to heal my wound, you should've just said so in the first place."

Kaito KID blinked out of his stupor at the statement that didn't even register in his mind.

"What?" If he weren't feeling so disoriented, he would've smacked himself for letting out such an unintelligent response.

A ghost of a smirk appeared on the other male's features. "If I didn't know how bewildered you must be feeling now, I'd be laughing at you. As it is, I only want to ask you one thing." Conan's expression became serious. "When was the last time you fed yourself?"

"Huh?" This time, thief almost _did_ hit himself for that.

The detective shook his head, as if in exasperation. "Look, you don't have to hide what you are. It's obvious for me after encountering so much of your kind." He reached up with his non-injured arm to take off his faux glasses. He folded them and settled them on the front collar of his shirt.

Though sufficiently even more confused, KID felt coherent enough to ask, "What are you talking about, Tantei-kun?" He only barely managed to keep his voice straight.

Without the glasses, Conan's blue eyes were more piercing than ever. "As I said, you don't really have to pretend. Unlike most people who find out, I'm not really frightened in any way." He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and began to wipe away some of the blood that slid down his arm. The thief felt both disappointed for the wasted blood and stupid for not having thought to just use a clean handkerchief as a temporary bandage. He could've just avoided the whole debacle, though he somehow didn't wish to.

When it was apparent to the detective that KID was not going to respond, he sighed once more. "Really, I'm more intrigued that _you_, of all people would turn out to be a vampire. I suppose a few of your skills had to come from somewhere…"

Now, KID stared incredulously at him. He was a _what?_

Conan seemed to get more anxious as the seconds passed without the thief's response. "If you don't want to admit it, then fine. You're free to go on pretending that I don't know. I'm bound to not tell anyone who doesn't know anyway so you wouldn't have to worry about anyone else finding out you're a vampire. Who would believe me anyway?"

There was the word again. What in the name of Pandora was the detective talking about?

"I don't even know why I'm bothering," Conan muttered with a twitch of an eyebrow, signifying his growing irritation. "Regardless of your obstinacy, I should really offer to feed you. I don't even want to think what other poor creature you'd attack mindlessly when you're fully consumed by bloodlust."

Before KID was able to accuse the other of being out of his mind, Conan held up his wounded forearm to his face, effectively making him swallow the comment with the sudden barrage of the coppery scent. The detective seemed aware of the effect of his actions though as he let a smirk fully tug on his lips.

"So, instead of causing my conscience any grief for the negligence of your _melic_," his blue eyes seemed to reflect the light of the moon as he continued to look at the thief straight in his indigo orbs, "Why don't you just go ahead and bite me?"

_To be continued…

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_

_Hm…only 2k words. Sorry though, I just couldn't resist cutting it here. Hopefully, the next chapter would be longer._

_How was it? Too OOC? Horrible? Terrible? Good? Terrific? What? I didn't mean to make that interaction too long, I swear!_

_Thinking about it now, as much as I'm not a fan of Stephenie Meyer's work, I vaguely recall a similar remark somewhere in her second book. Not like that matters now…_

_As for why our dear Kaito doesn't seem to be aware and why our other dear Conan does instead, you shall know in the next chapter._

_Or, at least, I think you will. You're all free to take a guess as to how I made the whole vampire thing work. I'll be giving out virtual cookies for those that figure anything out! Not you though, SG-chan. You get to have cheesecake, 'cause you were the one who gave me the prompt 8P_

_Reviewers get to have my special, homemade virtual fudge brownies._

_Thanks for reading!_

_Posted on April 15, 2010_

_Edited chapter posted on May 21, 2010, beta by **nataeiy1**.  
_


	2. Chapter 2

_I lowered the rating. I realized that it was too high for what's happening so far. I might raise it again...but we shall still see. Heehee._

_Everyone here is really great. You've all been giving me great feedback. You're making me even more motivated! Thanks, guys! Replies to reviews are at the end of the chapter._

_Maybe you should thank Shadow's Range for giving me more reason to update. Rockband! XDDDD Pinapaalala lang, Mon :P_

_Moving on!_

_**Disclaimer: **__All characters and elements of Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belong to Gosho Aoyama-sama. I can only hope to be able to do something as nice. Meep.

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**Moonlit Blood  
**By Milky Étoile**  
**Chapter Two

"You're hopeless, you know that?"

His companion raised an eyebrow at him. "Am I, now? I don't think I've been informed."

He rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Doesn't even matter. You'll have to wait until tomorrow. Someone else needed to be addressed."

"Ah… This must be the seventh time this has happened."

"You have better control—I know you manage to hold off for at least a few days after the allotted time."

"Thank you, I think. Should I really be flattered?"

"Perhaps."

Silence reigned for a couple of moments.

"You wouldn't let me live if you found out I put _you_ before someone else with poor restraint."

He sighed. "Indubitably. I only wish you would give some warning before you push through with your impulsive plans."

It was the other's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Would there _really_ be any time to send a memo?"

"No."

"I'm glad we understand each other then."

"I wasn't aware that was an understanding…"

"Oh, just wait, will you? I may have done it consecutively before but that doesn't mean I want a repeat."

"Very well, _melic-san_. Since you asked so nicely, I shall be patient."

"Sarcasm is not becoming of you, _vampire-san_."

"Does it even matter?"

"Not really. Besides, I'm not officially _your_ melic, am I?"

"Might I remind you that there really isn't much of a difference if you were?"

"You just did."

* * *

Kuroba Kaito was beyond frustrated. He had just woken up and he was trying to recall everything that occurred during the previous night's heist. Or rather, what happened _afterward_. But all he kept on coming up with was how he and Edogawa Conan switched roles due to the said detective's ingenuity. And how Conan had warned him once he reached the rooftop. He also recalled the shooter, how he only scared him away, and Conan's wound…

…The strong scent of blood. Also, his mind told him that he managed to help the detective with his injury. But he couldn't exactly remember _anything_ from their conversation, except for two words: _'vampire'_ and _'melic'_.

Of course, he immediately looked up the two words. But he wasn't sure that what he found completely described what those two were.

'_Vampire'_ was an English word that was used to pertain to a familiar mythical creature that supposedly fed on blood. "Blood-sucking" was one of the descriptions. He remembered it from some of the foreign fantasy stories he'd read previously. That couldn't really be what it seemed like, assuming that whoever said the word, Conan maybe, meant him.

Still, he didn't feel much like _sucking_ on any blood so he couldn't really be a _vampire_ if what his eidetic memory reminded him of the creature was to be trusted. And he wasn't really pale and he hadn't got any sunburn from the rays of sunlight that came through his room's window. His heart was still beating, he still needed to breathe, and he didn't feel much like an incredibly strong and creepy creature.

And he couldn't be a _'melic'_ either, though perhaps he shouldn't be too sure since he didn't find much on that except for a reference to a kind of nymph. According to what he found, _melic _nymphs were in Greek mythology and came from the Heaven's blood when Cronus wounded him. Spears made of ash wood were their chosen weapons.

He may not be a detective, but he noticed that the only thing similar that those two had, regardless if the information they had were true or not, was _blood_. So, now, he was sure that whatever happened was related to Tantei-kun's injury.

However, for the life of him, he couldn't figure out _why_ they were relevant. His frustrations were fueled by the fact that he _couldn't _recall the exact happenings despite having photographic memory. Part of him felt violated—as he surely would have been violated since his memories were clearly tampered with. Another part of him was incredibly curious. After all, it was almost impossible to fool photographic memory.

Of course, his wondering brought him back to the only plausible solution to at least one of his current dilemmas, and that solution was to ask his diminutive rival, Edogawa Conan.

This brought on another set of problems. How was he to ask? The direct approach was the easiest he could think of yet, at the same time, it was the hardest as he doubted he'd be given straight answers if he asked. Maybe he could lure the detective into a heist wherein he could ask privately.

However, something told him that Conan wasn't going to the next heist he'd set up. That same something was what told him that whatever had happened was related to the pseudo-child.

The whole situation gave him a mighty headache. With an annoyed grunt, he set down his laptop and the notes he'd been making on his desk. Immediately afterward, he plopped down his bed and covered his forehead with his right arm.

He was rarely put off like this. He was Kuroba Kaito, magician extraordinaire, and Kaito KID, damn it, and the international thief was _never_ flustered.

Suddenly, while attempting to clear his head of thoughts, the memory of Conan's injury played out in his mind. His indigo eyes narrowed as he realized that his motto of Nobody Gets Hurt was violated. And he was pretty sure it was _his_ fault. The detective had even spared him from any injury similar to his by the warning.

Great, now he owed the not-child, mysterious alterations to his eidetic memory aside. Conan hadn't known anything about lurking snipers, so he didn't know to watch out for them.

He pushed himself back to his bed's headboard and promptly hit the back of his head on it twice. He repeated the action; eliciting constant thumps from the wooden material. After about half a minute of head bumping, he stopped. It wouldn't do for his dear mother to worry about his son gaining a sudden self-destructive tendency.

He turned to cursing himself as a replacement of his actions. He should have kept the location secure. He slipped and got lax after a long time of going on without those bastards and it was _Tantei-kun_ who paid the price, never mind that it wasn't a lethal injury.

At the same time, Tantei-kun probably suspected something now, if he hadn't figured out already that Kaito KID was being targeted by strange people in black…

He cursed himself again. Knowing the short detective, he would soon be out to figure out who the heck would want to take down the Moonlight Thief. And he would be snooping his nose in places where it shouldn't be, and might get himself entangled in _his_ mess, considering Tantei-kun's sense of justice. And, eventually, he might even figure out his real identity!

Kaito didn't think himself _that_ stupid. He knew that Edogawa Conan—or Kudo Shinichi—could easily find out who he was from the numerous clues that he hadn't meant to leave.

The biggest clue was when he'd gone and impersonated the detective during that extended heist. He showed his face—his _real_ one—and that, out of all inadvertent slips that he made before, was enough for his incredibly intelligent rival to figure out who he really was. In fact, even a week after he had done that daring imitation, he felt some nervousness. In the end, when no cops tried to apprehend him, he decided that maybe he hadn't left enough clues to be figured out.

Who was he kidding? There had to be very few who had the same features as another. It was possible with an operation (he had heard about that case that Kudo Shinichi had where a guy had gone as far as undergo a plastic surgery just to frame him for attempted murder—some people were just _delusional_). Still, it wasn't hard to figure out that even Kaito KID wouldn't go as far as go through that for a single impersonation. Plastic surgeries weren't cheaper than masks.

It was possible that the detective thought he was able to thwart Nakamori Ginzo's mighty pinch. He dismissed the possibility as quick as it came though. Tantei-kun was always able to see through his impersonations; not to mention, he was the son of Kudo Yukiko, formerly Hollywood actress, Fujimine Yukiko. It was safe to surmise that he knew a thing or two about disguises, including how to tell if there _was _a disguise or not.

Was he overestimating his rival's skills now? But considering he had been one-upped the previous evening, it probably wouldn't hurt.

It wasn't long before he found himself wondering about the situation again. Kaito massaged his temples, trying futilely to prevent his headache from growing. He really wasn't going anywhere.

Still, he couldn't do anything much but wait at the moment. If Tantei-kun was going to confront him about the sniper—and he was _sure_ he would; he prioritized saving human lives over expensive artifacts—then so be it. He just hoped it wouldn't be any time soon, even though he expected otherwise.

As for the botches in his memory, maybe he'd offer an exchange in information…

Or not. Snake and his goons were too dangerous for a shrunken detective.

* * *

The weekend passed by without much incident. Kaito wasn't even bothered by his childhood friend, Aoko, as she was staying over a classmate's house to finish a major project they were supposed to passed the following week. He and his partner, one of the more grade-conscious students, had already passed that the week before for extra points.

So, understandably, the magician was on the edge. He couldn't find any more useful information on _'vampires'_ and _'melics'_, even with some not-so-legal prodding. He had the urge to check on his vertically challenged rival to see if his wound was properly cared for and to demand answers at the same time. Thinking about his whole situation got him so restless that insomnia had kept him awake until the previous night where he had been able to get some hours of sleep.

"Kaito? Are you all right?"

He turned to see Aoko peering at him with some worry as they walked towards Ekoda High School in silence. He blinked, realizing his blunder.

So he grinned and suddenly flipped the girl's skirt before she could even react.

"Yellow, Aoko?" he queried as he tensed in preparation while her expression morphed into anger. "Isn't that too bright for you? It's a miracle that I can't see that dazzling color through your skirt!"

"_KUROBA KAITO!_"

And the rest of their trip was spent in their normal morning routine, only a bit earlier and complete with fierce bickering. As usual, the people they passed by gave them a wide berth; Aoko was still dangerous even with only her school bag.

* * *

The rest of the morning before class started went as smoothly as possible. Kaito wasn't sure how that was supposed to happen, seeing as Koizumi Akako was giving him weird knowing glances and Hakuba Saguru was present. He wasn't willing to face the resident witch so he decided to risk bugging the blonde detective instead.

"Hakuba! I didn't realize you'd be around today!" he exclaimed as he took the seat in front of the blonde. "No cases needing your brilliant mind in another country?" The sarcasm in his voice was evident enough for everyone who heard. Unfortunately for Kaito, it included his best friend.

"Kaito, why don't you just stop bothering Hakuba-kun?" Aoko demanded with her hands on her hips.

"'Cause I got no one else to bother!" the young magician reasoned petulantly.

She rolled her eyes at him. "You're being unreasonable again. Be thankful that Hakuba-kun is patient."

He answered her by sticking out his tongue at her childishly. Of course, this set off another mop chase routine.

* * *

Kaito had been anticipating and dreading the time that their break came. Anticipating because class seemed to be more of a bore than usual (or maybe he was just preoccupied with other, more pressing matters). Dreading because he just knew that one or both of the two people watching him the whole day would finally come to confront him.

Well, Hakuba only started throwing him glances halfway through the third period, possibly due to irritation for messing up his things (was it _his _fault that the detective was just so fun to bother?). Koizumi, on the other hand, had her sharp eyes on him since he entered the classroom. It was possible she was already eyeing him even _before, _considering that she was an actual witch. The thought of someone seeing his every movement without his knowledge made him suppress a shudder. Koizumi was _really_ creepy.

So, he planned on making a quick exit when the bell rings.

And, when it did ring, the classroom was filled with smoke. When it cleared after a couple of minutes, Kaito was gone from his seat and everyone left in the classroom was sporting a mustache, of all things. No one was pleased. Though no one was as pissed off as Aoko. Understandably, they left taking care of their wayward classmate to her.

"KUROBA KAITO!"

* * *

"Ah, so this is where you've been hiding, Kuroba-kun."

Kaito whipped around abruptly with an inward curse. He _really_ didn't want to deal with Koizumi now. But he supposed it was inevitable.

"Ah, Koizumi-chan, fancy seeing you up here," he mimicked her casual manner of speaking as he leaned back against the chain linked railings behind him. He appeared to be completely at ease but he was prepared to escape from the obviously dangerous witch if he had to. Already, he was counting ten different ways to get away from her. The rooftop did provide so many possibilities, especially with no other witnesses.

The witch raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at him. "I'm sure you've been expecting me."

Kaito quelled the urge to snort and instead mimicked her gesture. "Aren't you thinking of yourself too highly?"

She fixed him with the most piercing glare he had ever seen from her. However, she did not respond to his question. Instead, she kept her gaze on him and gave him a haughty smirk. "How does it feel to feed on blood, hm?"

His well-practiced poker face let no astonishment show. "What on earth are you talking about, Koizumi?" He could easily tell that she probably knew something about what he had been puzzling over for days. However, he also knew to be very wary of her. She had already made an attempt at his life before and she had almost succeeded with her strange abilities. And, she was cunning as hell.

It was almost as if she knew what he was pondering about. Her eyes held a knowing glint. "I'm quite sure you know what I am referring to. But, I digress. If you wish to deny what you _clearly_ are, I have no desire to stop your _delusions_." She came a couple of feet closer to him, making him step back warily. "That is, as long as you would allow _me_ to _not_ to deny."

Kaito kept his expression carefully blank to mask his confusion and slight irk. She was evidently implying that he was a 'blood-sucking creature'. Which, according to his knowledge, he was not. Regardless, he could easily tell that Koizumi wanted something from him. "Why is that?"

She stepped closer to him with a rather seductive smile. "Because you have something that I greatly desire."

He tensed. She was probably planning something. He put his hands in his pockets, looking for anything that would aid him. He kept his eyes at her, which, he realized soon was a big mistake for he felt as if his whole body had frozen without his consent. He tried to stomp down the slight panic that came into him as she walked even nearer until only a foot separated them. He could do nothing but stare as she raised an arm towards him.

"I'm not so sure that would not be the wisest course of action, Koizumi-san."

With the spell suddenly broken, Kaito immediately turned to see their half British classmate that had been absent the past week. The magician almost let out a relieved sigh. The witch let out a sound of annoyance from behind him.

"And why not?" If Kaito was facing her, he was sure he was going to see a pout. "_You_ wouldn't let me have what I want from you. It should be fair that I get it from him instead."

"I'm not sure I understand your concept of fairness, Koizumi-san." Kaito tensed as Hakuba walked towards them and stopped beside him. "But, really, I am only concerned for your well-being."

"Are you?" Their odd classmate raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "How is preventing me from gaining more power good for my well-being?"

Kaito was sufficiently confused, but a glance at the blond told him that he was the only one—or at least the only one that _seemed _to be.

"Well," Hakuba Saguru smiled wryly at her, "it's easy enough to tell who first fed him, is it not? I'm sure if you'd look hard enough, you would know."

Strangely enough for Kaito, the red-haired witch's narrowed her eyes were suddenly directed to him. After a moment of uncomfortable scrutiny, he saw, for the first time, a look of disbelief on Koizumi Akako's features.

"I would remind you," the British detective started after seeing her expression, "that certain _melic_ can get overprotective of their charge, or at least, those that they have fed."

Kaito almost let his blank Poker Face slip at the mention of the word he had been wondering about since last Friday's heist. He turned towards the only female in the vicinity, inwardly startled at the ferocious expression on her fair features and her vicious statement.

"You may be protected, _vampire_," the word came out of her lips as if it were acid, "but you would do well not to push too much. _You_ are not _certain melic_."

Hakuba nodded at her amiably. "Of course, Koizumi-san. I was merely informing you before you could…go past any boundaries."

After almost another minute of fierce staring that set Kaito on the edge, Koizumi harrumphed and crossed her arms across her chest. "Whatever. You will have your time, _both_ of you. And when that happens, not even a powerful _mutated _wizard would be able to save you from a _genuine_ practitioner of magic."

Kaito threw the blond detective a surprised glance when he heard his low growl. "_You_ would do well not to _insult_ melics in any way, Koizumi-san, or even _demons_ would not be able to save you from losing enough blood to incapacitate you."

If the witch ever felt threatened in any way, she didn't let it show past her irritated visage as she left the rooftop without another word.

"On the other hand," Hakuba suddenly started, as if the two of them had been conversing previously. "_You_, Kuroba, would do well to avoid witches of any kind. They tend to have a hunger for more power and vampires are great sources for them, despite the danger posed to them."

It took Kaito about three seconds to assimilate the information that the detective gave in an uncaring manner. He was a—

"Where the _hell_ did you get the idea that _I'm_ a vampire?" he demanded hotly, feeling somewhat offended, though for being labeled as a creature or for being defended against their mysterious classmate, he wasn't sure. "Vampires aren't even real!"

The blonde raised an eyebrow at him. "I assure you that they are real."

"How can _you_ say that? You're a detective, aren't you? How can you believe something mythical?"

"That's just it, Kuroba," Hakuba replied. "I am a detective and I do not believe anything completely without solid proof. Surely that speaks for something."

For a moment, Kaito held onto his ire—he didn't _want_ to be some dangerous creature, damn it—but the curious part of his brain was demanding to find out just _why_ Hakuba Saguru was so insistent. Not to mention, he'd spoken about a 'melic' something—or, apparently, some_one_—that he was itching to discover.

"Then why don't you give me some _proof_ then that what you're saying is true?" he challenged. He was almost thrown off when Hakuba smirked and suddenly appeared less than half a foot in front of him. From his position, Kaito could now see the other up close, and his scrutiny made him notice distinctly sharp _fangs_ peeking through Hakuba's lips.

"What sort of _proof_ would you need, Kuroba?" the blonde asked. The fangs were even more visible when he spoke.

Well, damn, if he knew the answer to that.

_To be continued…

* * *

_

_Sort-of cliffie. Heh. Akako was someone that should've been expected for my story. But I wonder if anyone expected me to do that to Hakuba Saguru? I hope I do his character justice. He's, of course, one of my favorite characters in MK. And how many times did I have Aoko shout Kaito's whole name? XDDDDDDD_

_Hm. No Conan in this chapter. Sorry. Were you all waiting for the explanations? Sorry but you'll have to wait more. Maybe in the next chapter. We shall see XD_

_Lol. Karaoke is ongoing here. Ehm._

_Anywho, review replies!_

_**Shadow's Rage**__, oo, benta di ba? Now, you officially know the most about my plot, you sly git. You know I can't resist it when you bug me about it. Well, considering that you seem to read more when you know what's going on XDDDD_

_**A Smiling Cat**__, read on, please? :3 __**fan girl 666**__, really? I'll be looking forward to more reviews then? __**Aniki-xvi**__, thanks! To __**csiphantom**__ and __**6xxValkyrie-Cainxx6**__, thanks too!_

_Shiny new chappie for __**Renkin-chan**__ XD I hope you like my ideas for this. I'm not sure it's that original (I don't read much vampire blah much, that'd be my sister's cup of tea) :P __**eyeinthesky**__, here, have virtual cream puffs too. Don't starve yourself too much though. Thanks for the review!_

_**gundamzbd36**__, please be patient. Everything shall be revealed 8D __**MsBendrezine**__, actually, the 'bite me' part was what came to me before everything else when SG-chan gave me the prompt XD_

_**just anie6142**__, have a whole box! They're rocky road flavor. Hope you're still thrilled! :D_

_To __**SG-chan**__, yes. Now, you're squealing! *squeals too* Lolz. Yuz, Co-chan's a buffet 8D I made him bewildered even more. And, hear, hear! No need for sparkles 'coz Kai-chan's osm anyway and smexy~ holy, you're making me LOL so much. Woodland fairy...XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD Hm...you may be right. But I can't say here XD Pandora...that's actually an intriguing idea. I'll see what I can do. Here you go, both dark and white chocolate! Whee! Have fun with the trailer :3_

_Well, I really have to go now. Am being bugged to join karaoke fully. It's our aunt's bday. So, yeah. Gotta go now. Will post the next chapter next week._

_PLEASE REVIEW! You all inspire me._

_Posted on April 24, 2010_

_Edited on April 25, 2010 (just slightly :P)_

_Edited chapter posted on May 21, 2010, beta by **nataeiy1**._


	3. Chapter 3

_I'm late! And I'm going to die soon. No, I don't mean it literally, so don't fret too much XD_

_Thanks again to everyone for their awesome reviews! And the alerts are telling me that a lot of people are reading this story. Wow. I didn't expect that, really._

_I'll have to thank __**StargateNerd**__ for getting me more readers through her wonderful fic trailer while I was away. Goodness, I _still_ can't believe my fic _has_ a trailer…ILU, SG-chan! –clings-_

_If you are interested in seeing it, you can search for it on YouTube, entitled 'Moonlit Blood' by gylfie24linole. I'll be posting a link in my profile shortly too n.n She put in spoilers, lol XD Still, cheers for SG-chan! –throws confetti-_

_And Shadow's Rage is not above threatening me now to get me to continue. She won't let me play Rockband unless I post o.O Ehm. Right…yeesh. If I post on your upcoming birthday, will you let me play? XD_

_Speaking of birthdays, I almost forgot: BELATED HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR DEAR SHINICHI! Shin-chan was born on the fourth of May :D_

_I would also like to thank __**tenten32158**__ for the great critique. I will try my best to improve in those areas you mentioned. Thanks again! This chapter's for you!_

_Review replies for anonymous reviews are at the end of the chapter :D_

_Note that 'genken' is the area where they leave their shoes. It's just beyond the doorway.

* * *

_

**Disclaimer: **All characters and elements belong to Gosho Aoyama. I'm not worthy T-T

**Moonlit Blood  
**_By Milky Étoile_  
Chapter Three

"Are you going to tell me who it was?"

"No. I'm sure you're aware of how I'm sworn to secrecy."

"Don't I at least deserve to know who took my place as the one you were supposed to feed?"

"…what if I said you don't deserve that?"

"That really isn't fair."

"Who said anything about fairness?"

"Are you not supposed to uphold that, being who you are?"

"I suppose. If I disclose the information you are asking for without the consent of the one involved, would you still consider me just?"

"…no."

"Then you have your answer."

* * *

Kaito was rather apprehensive of his detective classmate. Hakuba asked an impossible question then went off at the sound of the bell signaling the end of their break time. And he had been gone before Kaito realized it. If the door hadn't closed off suddenly, he probably wouldn't have noticed until seconds later.

Of course, he had been late for class because of that. At least he hadn't been ordered to stand outside to balance buckets of water for his tardiness. Apparently, their teacher was amused with the mustaches that only few had managed to remove.

That reminded the magician that Aoko was still only waiting for the right time to strike at him for his prank. The tenseness of her shoulders and the occasional glares she gave him were clear indications of that. Honestly, he didn't get why she was so upset over that. He had been nice enough that he made her mustache similar to her dad's! Was that so bad? Actually, that mustache was her own make too, from the time she dressed up as Nakamori Ginzo in their ski contest.

B she didn't need to know that he'd kept the whole costume after all this time. It just might trigger a larger explosion from her. And, considering that with the mustache, she looked all the more like her dad…

The magician had to hold back an urge to snicker. It wouldn't do to make his imagined picture of Aoko hounding upon him like Nakamori-keibu become a reality. Triggering her ire was too dangerous—not that it stopped him from doing so very often.

He tensed when he sensed a stare on him. He wondered whom it could belong to. It couldn't be Koizumi, since she'd disappeared to goodness-knows-where as she was wont to do. So, it was probably the only other person who had the habit of watching him intently.

He procured a pocket mirror and tilted it behind his open textbook. Just as he expected, he caught sight of Hakuba gazing at him with that haughty smirk of his. It somewhat infuriated him. Vampire or whatever, he was still an arrogant prick. The half-British git was probably thinking of how he had gotten something over Kaito. He was practically _gloating_ without even speaking. And the tip of a fang was visible through his lips. How did he manage to do that?

Without thinking, Kaito ran his tongue over his teeth with his lips pursed together. He held the pout of disappointment and sigh of relief that wished to come over him. He didn't have those unnaturally sharp fangs. Maybe Hakuba was only getting back at him for all the pranks he did?

Inwardly, he shook his head. The detective may be adamant in his accusations of his being Kaitou KID but he wasn't the type to retaliate with a hare-brained scheme that required him to pretend to be some mythical creature. He was too inclined to the truth to make big lies like that.

Did that mean that he believed Hakuba now?

Kaito stifled the urge to bang his head on his desk. Damn that blond detective to hell. And just when he thought he had swayed himself from thinking about that whole ordeal during class hours. Class hours were for thinking up of tricks to do in school, not wondering if supernatural things outside of Koizumi Akako and Pandora existed. It made him want to wipe off the conceited smirk from Hakuba's face with a prank or two.

He paused and smacked himself inwardly. Why was he even holding himself back from doing just that?

He raised the mirror slightly to be seen by Hakuba. He gave him a predatory grin through the mirror. When the detective's golden eyes narrowed in suspicion, all hell broke loose.

* * *

Four smoke bombs, a countless amount of confetti and a disoriented, pink-haired detective later, Kaito was feeling more like himself. There really was nothing like a prank to calm him down whenever he felt frazzled in any way. He was probably the only person who found chaos calming.

However, he almost felt regretful for doing all those to Hakuba, though it was not because he was feeling repentant. Rather, it was because the blond had stalked off in anger right after the bell rang.

So, if Hakuba was planning on enlightening him previously with his superior knowledge, he was probably not inclined to do so now.

Kaito pouted. He couldn't do anything but wait for the prick to get over his latest prank. Or, at least, he'd have to wait for the next day to pester him again. He knew where the detective lived, really, but he had the feeling that Hakuba wouldn't be forthcoming with answers if he were forced, even if he had that weird habit of blabbering what he knew to be right.

The half-Brit probably wouldn't call it 'blabbering', but that's what Kaito thought it ought to be anyway.

* * *

The next day, after dodging Aoko in another mop chase, Kaito was surprised to spot a hardbound book beneath his desk in their classroom. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that its cover was of a rich maroon color and did not have any writings on it except for a strange, curvy black symbol on the lower right corner of the front. It didn't seem to be forming a shape of any sort.

Curious, he flipped the cover and came upon a small piece of paper with a note.

'_Kuroba, read, if you will. –H.S.'_

Upon reading the initials, he turned the page to see the title of the book.

_A Treatise on Vampires and Their Melics_

His eyes widened and he turned around to look at Hakuba.

The blond only graced him with his arrogant smirk.

Kaito returned by sticking out a tongue and turned back to the book.

Then, he realized what language the writing was in. It was in English. And it was in _cursive_ English.

He bit back a groan. He was proficient enough with the language but it was _still_ not his first. He would bet his card gun that Hakuba would be giving him a taunting expression. He had to stomp down the urge to prank the blond for all his worth, never mind that he had just been given a new source of information.

Maybe later, in their second class.

* * *

Kaito didn't do anything to Hakuba in their second subject. He didn't do anything to _anyone_ for the rest of the day. For all it seemed, he was diligently bent over his textbooks the whole day. The only trick he pulled was switching his books for the appropriate subjects. It was disconcerting for his classmates who were already so used to him _not_ sitting still.

The person in question was only minutely aware of the curious (and rather disturbed) stares upon him as he ran his eyes across the pages of the book he had been lent. He had only been able to finish the introduction chapter.

According to what he had read and understood, what he had previously found about vampires was true. They _were_ 'blood-sucking creatures', as his Webster dictionary had mentioned. However, unlike his dictionary, the book claimed that they were, indeed, real. They existed alongside ordinary people but lived in secrecy, as they were few in number, compared to the billions of normal humans. The book even alleged that vampires were rarer than other beings that were known to be mythical, like werewolves, witches and spirits.

Kaito personally already believed in witches but he was still trying to wrap his mind around the existence of vampires, but the thought that possibly _all_ the creatures that were in fairy tales and myths could be _real_ as well was a bit too much. Still, as usual, he threw the idea to the back of his mind for later examination.

"_Like with most beings, it is difficult to trace how vampires came to be as they are."_

The author discussed some theories concerning the origins of vampires. Most of it went over his head. It was interesting history but he didn't really think it was relevant at the moment. So, with little difficulty (he thanked the author for at least having _neat_ cursive handwriting), he skipped onto the parts that he deemed important for the moment.

"_Melics are not much different from magical humans. In fact, melic is now considered a class alongside witches and warlocks and would probably be considered no different if not for certain ability differences between them. The differences stemmed from the evolution of normal magical humans."_

What the heck was 'normal' for them? Kaito idly made a mental note to pester Hakuba about it. He also remembered how he wanted to prank the detective.

Hm. _Right._ After the next two paragraphs.

"_Melics are among the few beings that have definite origins due to the fact that they came into existence at a time when the chronicling of important events were already a practice. It was in the Renaissance period, particularly in 1401, that a Welsh warlock by the name of Gwydion wrote of his unique experience."_

"_As mentioned previously, humans normally do not survive being fed from by vampires."_

Where was that mentioned? The magician blinked, before recalling that he had skipped some pages.

"_However, Gwydion wrote of how he had been caught unaware by a vampire. He expected to die, as all victims of the blood-sucking creatures have. But he tried to keep himself alive with his magic and he had succeeded. After his near-death experience, he observed that his magic was stronger than it was before. However, his magic reverted to its previous level within a month. It was clear to him that the unnatural boost was related to being fed from by a vampire._

_"At his account, other magical humans decided to prove if their power would also grow if they fed vampires. As vampire and human relations were almost nonexistent due to the withdrawal of vampires from society, it was a difficult task to accomplish. Vampires also avoided partaking from magical humans after their war due to the significant loss that their side took._

"_Eventually, Kellen, a coven of witches, was able to locate a few vampires and managed to form a temporary alliance in 1513. Though it cost the witches the lives of half of their group, they were eventually successful in their endeavor. They proved the strange effect of feeding vampires on magical humans and even found that it affected vampires in terms of strength as well. The account of Kellen spread among magical beings and spurred some to try similarly."_

Kaito wondered at how strange those magical humans were to willingly let their blood be taken from them. He supposed it was due to the temptation of power.

Shrugging, he finally paid attention to their current class. Well, he only paid attention enough to find that it was currently history class and that a third of section 2-B was asleep due to the constant drone of their boring teacher.

He decided it was time to get back at Hakuba.

* * *

For the following days of the week, Hakuba didn't talk to him about anything concerning supernatural things. He still accused Kaito of being Kaitou KID, especially after the thief had made him hang upside down in a hallway of the heist's location. With a pink _furry_ twine. The bunny ears that were stuck until yesterday on the detective's head didn't help in diffusing his ire at all.

Kaito continued to read the book though. He found a lot of interesting things concerning vampires. And, he learned what melics really were.

Magical humans that fed vampires.

It was still somewhat confusing for him though, as it had been mentioned that the purpose for their existence was exactly that—feeding vampires. So, somehow, they were born around a time when a vampire was born. Due to this, they were even fewer in number than vampires. Only about five vampires were born in two years, as vampires rarely produced children and even more seldom turned humans into vampires.

What complicated matters was that melics became connected to the vampire that was born in the same period. However, it was highly possible that they would not even know they were connected. Melics knew that they were connected but had no knowledge of whom they were connected to, and not all vampires had this connection. They would only know the moment that the vampire feeds on the melic. The whole connection was still rather mysterious as it had only been discovered early in the previous century.

So, the only way to really understand the connection was to actually experience it.

Kaito didn't think he'd have that though. He may have come to believe that vampires were real but he still didn't think he was a vampire. He just didn't feel that he was at all.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by his favorite target for pranks.

"Kuroba," the blond detective called. When he reached the magician's seat, he muttered, "If you are interested in meeting a melic who can surely prove to you what you deny being, come with me after class."

Hakuba didn't wait for him to respond in any way and continued towards his own desk, leaving Kaito to stare at him blankly.

* * *

It wasn't hard to decide if he was going with Hakuba or not.

So, Kaito was rather anxious with the meeting with the melic that was supposed to prove he was a vampire. The book had mentioned that they could be as powerful as, if not more than, wizards and witches…which was the reason for Koizumi Akako's ire and wariness. This melic was probably more skilled than her. After witnessing how Koizumi had used her magic on him more than once, the idea that someone could do greater than that set him on the edge.

If his blond classmate noticed his uneasiness as they got off the bus, he didn't mention it.

After a few minutes of walking, Kaito recognized the surroundings.

"The melic lives in Beika?" he asked, his anxiousness replaced by curiosity. He was still in wonder at how the beings he knew to be mythical could be living amongst normal people.

He recalled once more that heist that had ended badly. Maybe he could check on Tantei-kun on the way back…

Hakuba nodded without glancing at him. "To be specific, his home is at 221-B Nichoume."

That address was somewhat familiar.

"I don't doubt that he'll let you come and go there after this," the detective continued. "He has a habit of feeding any vampire who wishes to be fed." He sighed in exasperation. "Never mind that he gets affected by feeding…"

Kaito wasn't sure what to make of that. So, he stayed silent for the rest of the walk, mulling over his own thoughts.

Eventually, they came to a neighborhood that was lined with rather huge residences. Kaito couldn't help but stare at the sheer size of them as well as their facades. One of them had a modern design and was as large as the building of his last heist. And the one across it was equally enormous though looked more like a residence with its Western design.

Hakuba stopped right in front of the iron gates of that house. Kaito wasn't sure what to think when his blond classmate simply pushed opened the gates without ringing the doorbell and entered with a look to him to follow.

Not really having much choice, Kaito shrugged before following inside. He wondered whatever happened to Hakuba's cordiality as he watched him open the large double doors. He blinked. Was nothing locked in this residence? He raised an eyebrow and walked in, taking off his shoes by the genken and donning one of the slippers in the shelf by the side.

He looked around and felt he had to let out a whistle. The house, or rather, the mansion, looked as elegant inside as the outside. The foyer was about as large as their classroom and the floor was carpeted. He silently continued to the next floor, where his companion had gone to. As he reached the top of the stairs, he looked around and saw that the decorations in this hallway were as tasteful as the ones in the first floor. Deciding that he'd look around more later, he walked towards Hakuba, who was standing in front of a door in the left side of the hall.

The detective knocked on the door when Kaito reached him. Before the Kaito could remark that his politeness seemed to be back, the door swung open—on its own.

Kaito struggled to keep up his poker face. That didn't necessarily mean it had been opened by some unseen force. It wasn't difficult to make a closed door open on its own.

Hakuba seemed to think nothing of it and entered the room. When Kaito tailed him, he _really_ had to gawk. The room was practically a library by itself with all the tall shelves lining the walls. They were all full of volumes of different thickness too.

He paused when he passed by an entire shelf that was occupied by books by Maurice LeBlanc. Half of them were in the original French too. He had to turn his eyes away from it before he could reach for any book. Perhaps he could ask the melic to lend him some of those?

"The Gentleman Thief, Arsène Lupin, is certainly quite the character, isn't he?"

Kaito jumped around. It wasn't Hakuba who spoke, but no one else was in sight.

The blond detective let out a derisive snort and crossed his arms. "He's a thief," he said.

"And you're a vampire." That voice was familiar…

"A vampire is not necessarily a criminal," Hakuba retorted in a slightly incensed tone.

"You are correct, of course." The voice seemed to be coming from behind the LeBlank shelf. Strangely enough, it wasn't muffled by the barrier between them. "But they can be considered thieves too, if they take someone's blood forcibly."

Kaito stepped back when he heard something move. He was just in time as the book case suddenly moved backwards, as if it were a mere door. He waited with bated breath as the one who had spoken came into view…

His indigo eyes widened. It was—

"We finally meet properly." His blue eyes glinted with some amusement as he approached Kaito. He was of the same height, same hair color, and almost same facial features.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Kudou Shinichi."

What the _hell_?

_To be continued…

* * *

_

_DUN DUN DUN! XDDDDD Did you see that coming? Nyahahaha!_

_Ehem. Sorry for the lateness. I almost thought I wouldn't be able to post it today since the laptop that I use won't open up for some reason. And I, stupid, forgetful me, didn't have a copy of the complete third chapter in my USB. I only had half of the first draft. Geh. So, there._

_I still didn't reveal a lot of things. Meh. They will come when they come!_

_Anywho, here are the replies for the anonymous reviews!_

_**tenten32158**__, your review was incredibly long and very helpful. And I will admit that showing his overprotective nature was part of my intention. Thanks for telling me that too! I was so worried that they would appear too much OOC. Unfortunately, I'm still in the process of familiarizing myself with the characters. So, if I slip up too much, please warn me._

_The main reason I fell in love with DC in the first place was the mystery part. If I took it out, I wouldn't go anywhere n.n I'm curious what your theories are. If you don't mind, can you share them? =P_

_You're welcome, and thank you. Perhaps you should thank my lack of resources during the time I came up with this idea more though…what's that saying again? Crisis breeds innovation? Hm…I don't remember. Oh, I'm familiar with the author but I haven't read that one yet. I will read it soon, I hope. I also worried about the fluidity. It's a great challenge to delve into characters that aren't yours…so when it comes to those parts, I'll try harder. Kaito's solo scene after the heist was something I was unsure with at first. But when I got into it, I couldn't stop until the end. I guess that it had something to do with how I managed to watch all the episodes in DC that included Kaito as well as the whole MK manga by the time I wrote it…? Were Akako and Saguru in character? I'm most uncertain with Saguru. He will play a huge role (spoiler!) so I'm taking a risk with him._

_And I share your preference in terms of dialogue. Not sure if I managed to employ that in this one but I did my best. Thanks a lot again. I really appreciate the critique._

_**just anie6142**__, yes, vamp!Kaito is a fangirl dream XD Oh, I haven't gone into that part yet…hehe…as for his photographic memory, I'm not sure if it was canon. But I'm making it so he has n.n_

_**ObsessedConanFan**__, (I get lazy with loggin in sometimes too XD) thanks! I hope you keep on reading as I go into the story. I'm excited with what I'm writing too 8D Thanks a whole bunch again!_

_Thanks again for all the reviews! And the alerts and favorites…*sniffs* You guys are so nice!_

_I'll be working on the next chapter soon so I hope you look forward to it :D_

_Posted on May 6, 2010_

_Edited on May 17, 2010_

_Edited chapter posted on May 21, 2010, beta by **nataeiy1**._


	4. Chapter 4

_I'm late. Very late. Again. Argh._

_I'm sorry, __**Shadow's Rage**__! I wasn't able to post on your birthday since I hadn't been able to go online. I hope you forgive me T-T_

_I am aware that this chapter may seem messed up. My current dilemmas might have affected my writing, and, for that, I'm sorry._

_Thank you again, to __**tenten32158**__, for another comprehensive review. I'm afraid there seems to be OOC-ness here though. I hope you can forgive me ._._

_Onto the chapter!_

**Dedication:** To **Shadow's Rage**, for her birthday. Come on, guys, give her a greeting! -grins-

**Warning:** Implied yaoi explicit content. Nothing entirely graphic though.

**Disclaimer:** All characters and elements belong to Gosho Aoyama.

* * *

**Moonlit Blood**  
_By Milky Étoile_  
Chapter Four

"Was it wise to leave it like that?"

"Weren't you ever told that eavesdropping is rude?"

"Not answering a question posed to you is just as disrespectful."

"You're being insufferable, as usual. How much did you hear?"

"Just the last part. Approximately a minute before your conversation ended."

"'_Approximately'_? You should stop trying to lie when it doesn't work for you."

"Maybe I should call you a hypocrite and be done with _this_ conversation."

"Hah. Like _you'd_ be the one to end it when you were the one to start it. You haven't gotten your answer yet."

"I never get straight responses from you. Why should I bother?"

"That's just it. You're _bothered._ Troubled. Peeved. Don't tell me you're jealous."

"I will admit to nothing."

"That pride will be the death of you."

"No. _You_ will be my demise."

* * *

Kaito wasn't sure what to make of the situation. He _knew_ with great certainty that Kudou Shinichi was also Edogawa Conan.

But he was only supposed to know as _Kaitou KID_, not Kuroba Kaito.

And that damned blond classmate of his was still in the vicinity. So he should be acting like he didn't know the other person at all.

He was aware that he couldn't possibly hide his identity from the Detective of the East after _two_ impersonations. But Hakuba was another story. Though, he thought, it was rather dangerous to be alone with a detective who could possibly subdue him with supernatural powers.

Kudou was as sharp as ever, it seemed. "Saguru, do you mind running a little errand for me?" he asked the half-Brit.

Hakuba gave Kaito a side glance before turning his golden eyes towards the other detective. "It would depend on your errand."

"Just the usual," the other said with a shrug, as if it explained everything.

Strangely enough, it _was_ enough an answer for Hakuba, who was gone only a moment later, leaving without making a sound. Kaito couldn't tell which way he went. The library's door hadn't shut like the rooftop door had before.

"Is that better?" the other detective started with a smirk that reminded Kaito of the one Conan flashed him at the previous week's heist. "Kaitou KID-san."

* * *

As he settled down on his bed after the incredibly long and strange Friday, Kaito felt a lot like his life had been turned upside down in one sitting. Well, his life had changed, indeed, but that didn't really happen in one sitting. It was more of that he was only given the notice about it in one sitting.

He _still_ wasn't completely sure how that happened, or anything else related to it, for that matter. He had not expected _Tantei-kun_, of all people, to be the one to introduce him to all of the madness that he was now considering bringing himself to a mental institution for. He knew well enough that admitting himself into a psychiatric ward wouldn't do him any good, but at least it would get him away from the insanity, right?

He fought the urge to indulge in his latest self-destructive habit once more—his bed's headboard certainly didn't appreciate all the pounding, nor did his head. To escape from all the unusual matters that had suddenly come to his attention would be like forgetting he was also Kaitou KID—which he couldn't really bring himself to do after taking up the mantle for almost a year.

The thought of his secret occupation quickly brought about a certain explanation of the detective (who was, apparently, not so diminutive for the time being).

"_It is vampirism that is hereditary and that," Kudou Shinichi paused and fixed his vivid blue eyes on him as he settled his chin atop his linked fingers, "is what makes being a melic almost the same."_

Hereditary. He furrowed his eyebrows at the thought. Did his dad ever intend to let him inherit being an international thief as well?

He shook his head fervently. Probably not, since Snake and his goons were still around. Possibly yes, if they weren't. Either way, there was no use wondering about that at the moment. He was stalling having to think about the supernatural way of things, as he had before.

Who wanted to think about all those weird things anyway?

Admittedly, Kaito knew he, himself, could probably pass off as an epitome of strangeness without the whole vampire ordeal. But this went way beyond his unspoken level of eccentricity tolerance. That all his information on the Weirdness (it certainly deserved a capital 'W') came from detectives—who were supposed to figure out the reasons for weird things and ensure that they were not seen as weird anymore (in a way)—made matters worse for him.

This time, he really did hit his head on the board behind him. The connection of the back of his head and the wooden part of the furniture made a _thump_ that was somewhat satisfying. He asked himself when he'd become a masochist.

Masochistic tendencies aside, there was really not much reason for him to keep on denying the whole supernatural deal. Tantei-kun had already explained most of it in such a concise way that made it seem like all that he spoke of was true. Factual and straight to the point. He probably explained things that way most of the time, almost like Hakuba, except that Hakuba always made it obvious that he was gloating.

That was another thing that made Kaito wonder. Kudou and Hakuba were probably close, based on the fact that the former addressed the latter by his first name and without any honorific. The magician assumed their relation had something to do with the blond being a vampire (which was just plain weird to think about) and the other a melic.

On another note, it didn't surprise Kaito that Tantei-kun was no normal melic. He was sure that the detective excelled in whatever he put his effort into, and being a melic was no exception.

He grabbed the magazine that had been handed to him by the detective as an afterthought. The material was a local bimonthly publication of the supernatural realm (it was _still_ unusual to think of that being in existence). It was called _Transcend_ and the issue that was given to him contained an article on the most popular mythical beings in Japan, amongst other things. Only two melics were listed and they were called 'Conan' and 'Gillian'. There was no photos of either person, only a symbol—the same one on the book Hakuba had given him.

_"Conan is the second known melic who consistently keeps a high level of magical energy even without feeding vampires, unlike most melics who depend on feeding to gain a decent level. This is due to the training he has undergone with Gillian, his mother and fellow melic, who developed her own brand of magic that she claims to be meant for her kind._

"_It is still much unknown how this magic works as those who had dared to challenge either of them have been sworn to secrecy after being soundly defeated. Those who are acquainted with them refuse to share their knowledge too. However, it is apparent that both melics are powerful beyond the norm, yet, neither take advantage of the high status they have gained in the mystical realm. In fact, both of them seem to be more inclined to making numerous contributions for the benefit of the supernatural society._

"_Among them are the development of Mystique, the only magical shopping district in Japan, and a series of books on mythical beings, the most notable of which entitled, _A Treatise on Vampires and Their Melics,_ which has sold four hundred thousand copies worldwide_."

Kudou himself had told him that 'Conan' happened to be his name in the supernatural realm. When Kaito had asked why, the detective had looked slightly affronted and claimed that it was his mother's idea. He also informed him then that Kaito also needed a different name, a sort of alias, if he wanted to remain anonymous to other mythical beings. (Of course, Kaito _had_ to ask what Hakuba's alias was. He didn't bother to hide his snicker when the Detective of the East muttered, "Doyle" and switched the subject.)

So, obviously, his rival was quite famous for greater reasons than his being a brilliant high school detective among the normal humans. The word 'overachiever' couldn't have described Kudou Shinichi better. Kaito had the feeling that the detective wouldn't appreciate being called that though and he would probably have to face his wrath, even with the shaky truce they agreed to for the sake of the pressing matters.

Idly, he made a mental note to ask about that shopping district. It was highly probable that there would be some shops that would aid him in his conquest to make Hakuba suffer—er, that is, lighten up. He would lay off doing anything to his other opponent for the moment. Tantei-kun was dangerous even without his unusual powers.

* * *

"I'm almost thankful that you fed Kuroba first," the blonde detective commented after the mentioned magician had left. He made his way towards the other teen in the library. "Because I'll have you in your own form."

Shinichi raised an eyebrow and leaned back into the leather reclining chair. He studied the approaching vampire's expression before waving a hand in a circular motion. Instantly, clicks were heard as all openings to the study were locked.

"What makes you think that I'll let you have me?" the Detective of the East queried with an amused visage as the other stopped by his desk. Suddenly, he was roughly pulled into a kiss.

"Because you need the life extension."

* * *

_"Do it." _

_It was intoxicating. The metallic taste of blood was delicious and filling. There was a subtle sweetness in the red liquid too_

_An overwhelming feeling of warmth enveloped him. He didn't know why he suddenly felt it but he was sure it had something to do with the shorter person he just—_

"_Stop." As the command stated, he halted. He wouldn't, _couldn't_ disobey it—_

"…_you will remember soon enough."_

THUMP!

Kaito opened his eyes abruptly, feeling disoriented from being woken from his slumber. And he was dreaming about what he had forgotten in the past week's heist too.

"Kaito! Are you all right in there?" his mother's muffled voice from the other side of his bedroom door interrupted him before he lost himself to his musing.

"Yeah, just fell off the bed," he called out in reply. "Nothing to worry about."

"If you say so. Refrain from sleeping near the edge again. And breakfast is ready!"

He merely grumbled a positive response and got up from his awkward position on the floor. Was it really his fault that he moved so much in his sleep?

He scratched the back of his head, effectively messing up his already-messed up hair. That dream—memory—left an annoying headache, just as Tantei-kun had said to expect when he had mentioned the spell he performed.

"_Obviously, I can't keep the seal on your memory and vampiric characteristics forever. It would be like stopping a storm from coming down on you with a leaf." The detective offered a slightly sympathetic expression. "I understand that this is all sudden—Awakening isn't really something anyone can predict—but there isn't much that you can do but deal with it._

"_However, I've made it so the seal would be released gradually to aid in your transition. The first that will come back to you will be your memory. It will probably return to you with a headache. But I'm sure a little ache wouldn't stop someone like you."_

He didn't mention that the headache would grow as he acclimated himself to his memory though. It almost made him want to crawl back into his bed and bury himself there for the whole day. Another part of Kudou's explanation momentarily distracted him.

"_You may want to lock yourself up tomorrow. After you regain your memory, your vampiric traits will follow. Inhuman strength and speed will probably be first, followed by hearing, sight, and then smell. I've ensured that the last to come will be the bloodlust and your fangs. So, it will be best for you to stay away from any normal humans until you get used to those."_

Kaito groaned. He wasn't sure how it would feel to have those traits but they would probably come with more than just a headache.

He couldn't deny it now. He _would_ have those traits because he really _was_ a vampire. The memory left strong feelings in its wake and he was certain that those could not be faked in any way.

He shook his head in an attempt to organize his thoughts. He knew he should probably heed the detective's advice. He _had_ made it clear to him that their roles in the normal society were separate from that in the supernatural one. And the detective mentioned that his role was to help him, especially since Kaito's vampirism was, at the moment, more important than his being Kaitou KID. He had been warned of the dangers he could put others in if he weren't careful.

Gulping nervously at the thought of harming others with unusual characteristics, he decided that he would just do as Tantei-kun suggested.

His stomach suddenly announced its empty state with a rather loud growl.

He blinked. Maybe _after _he got some breakfast though. And after stocking up on food. If he was going to coop himself in his room for the whole day, he might as well keep himself as comfortable as he could.

He wondered how he could keep that tub of chocolate ice cream from melting…

* * *

Of all the things that he thought might ruin the plan he had for the day, Aoko was probably the last on the list.

In hindsight, Kaito should have put her on the top. She did tend to get bossy at times.

"You promised to come with me to watch a movie today!" she announced with an annoyed huff when he asked why she invited herself into his house just before he finished breakfast. "You forgot again, didn't you?"

Kaito _very_ vaguely recalled her demanding to be taken to a movie some time in the past week. He _did_ forget (not that he was going to admit it to her), but he thought he had good reason to. A movie wasn't more important than finding out he was a mythical being (he _still_ couldn't bring himself to say 'vampire')!

"Of course I didn't!" he declared as he racked his brain for some plausible excuse to get out of the situation. "But there's something I have to take care of today, so I can't accompany you."

She turned her fiercest glare upon him and put her hands on her waist. "You said that the last time too! What is this business you have to take care of again, huh? You're probably just making that up!"

"I'm not!" he replied with an indignant pout. He was beginning to regret using up so many excuses previously for the sake of his heist preparations. "I just have a lot of things to do."

Before he could say anything else, a sniffle reached his ears. Turning around to face his childhood friend, it was, indeed, Aoko who looked like she was about to burst into tears.

"You…you hardly have any time for me," she mumbled with another sniff. "I thought we were friends!"

One of the things he hated seeing was Aoko crying. It made him feel awkward and upset at the same time. So, he conceded to accompanying her to see a movie. It would only take a few hours…it couldn't hurt, right?

"Let's go then!" Aoko chirped, looking as if she hadn't just almost-cried moments ago. She then proceeded to list what was showing in the nearest theater, throwing in some opinions she had heard from their classmates.

Kaito felt slighted. Did his best friend just _trick_ him into agreeing…by pretending to almost _cry_…?

* * *

He was really regretting acquiescing to Aoko's demands.

None of the movies showing interested him, so she picked one of the romance flicks and dragged him to the movie house. And, now, halfway through the movie, he found himself almost dozing off in his seat.

That is, until he felt an odd jolt run through him, the sensation not unlike getting electrocuted. He fought down the urge to convulse in his seat. He managed by clenching his hands around the armrests at his side. He closed his eyes and tried to regulate his breathing as the feeling passed.

He leaned back into his seat with a sigh. He opened an eye to glance at Aoko. It seemed she didn't notice his sudden plight and was still watching attentively. He shut that eye again.

He couldn't think of any other reason for the abrupt feeling except for the seal releasing. He had been correct in guessing that it would hurt more than a headache did. He just didn't think it would be a _hell_ of a lot worse.

Shaking his head, he tried to focus on what trait he was supposed to have gained. Tantei-kun said it was going to be inhuman strength…but he really didn't feel any different.

He held back a sigh and released his hold on the armrests. He stared in disbelief at the hand-shaped dents on the dark material. Cautiously, he poked the one on his left with a finger.

He was surprised when he had to stop the armrest from falling towards the floor. Did he really just become…_that_ strong?

* * *

After failing to get away from Aoko with a bathroom excuse (she _handcuffed_ him _again—_he could easily get out but his escape would put him into a troublesome situation with her), he tried to sit as still as he could while waiting for the movie to finish. He wasn't able to keep himself completely immobile and inadvertently inflicted more damage upon his poor seat (that was now short of a couple of screws).

Thankfully, though, the movie came to an end soon after he left another dent in the side of his seat. Aoko also was merciful enough to remove the handcuffs, though he suspected she did it due to the fact that it would look suspicious to other people. At the moment, he was, again, scrounging his brain for a valid reason to excuse himself before another part of the seal could be released. He didn't want to experience another bout of pain in public, especially in front of Aoko.

So, as his friend went on about how incredibly touching the movie was, he agreed absently and wondered if he should just make a break for it. He did it regularly, after all.

Before he could take any action though, his legs froze, preventing him from following Aoko. Eyes widening, he tried to move them but it was in vain. He was about to move them forcibly with his hands but he found that he couldn't do anything with his upper limbs either. Not long after, he felt as if his whole body had gone numb. It was almost like the time that Koizumi had done that weird spell on him.

He forced himself to calm down and think of a plausible cause for his sudden immobility. Nothing else came to mind except for the seal and weird characteristics.

_Does everything go back to the Weirdness now?_ he thought to himself as he managed to move his eyes to see how far Aoko had walked on. He was so startled when he felt a vibration coming from one of the pockets of his pants that he almost jumped. This brought to his attention that he could apparently move and feel again. He sighed and reached for his mobile phone. As he read the message he received, he walked to clear the distance between himself and his childhood friend. He blinked when he recognized that it was his mother who texted.

His mother, bless her, was telling him to come home as soon as he could. He fought the urge to grin. She had the most impeccable timing. Though he had to wonder if something was the matter for her to send him that text.

"_Kaito!"_

He stopped and looked forward to where he expected Aoko to be—only to find that she wasn't there.

"You idiot!"

Kaito flinched when he felt a fist connect with his head. Clutching the aching part with a hand, he turned around to glare at the one who inflicted the pain. Before he could say anything, Aoko beat him to it with a fiercer glower.

"I've been calling you for the past five minutes!" she exclaimed, panting as if she had just run a marathon. "You were going too fast! What's gotten into you? You weren't going to leave me, were you?"

He blinked, rather confused. He was sure that it was _her_ who was going too fast (never mind that it was only because he couldn't move for a few minutes). He glanced around and noticed that they were already _three blocks_ away from the spot that he had been frozen in. He was sure he had only been walking at a normal pace.

"Are you even listening to me?" Aoko demanded.

Pushing aside the peculiar incident for the moment, he gave her the most apologetic grin he could muster up. "Sorry. My mom just sent me a message telling me to come home."

Immediately, her expression turned into that of worry. "Did something happen?"

He shook his head to reassure her. "She didn't say, but I'm sure it's not that serious since she didn't call." He watched as Aoko seemed to think it over, with a frown one second to an annoyed pout the next—she was impossibly easy to read; though that might be due to the length of time he'd spent with her.

"Go then," she ground out, putting her arms across her chest as she did. "But you still owe me lunch."

He agreed instantly with a bright smile for her. Bidding her goodbye, he broke off into a run to the direction of his house.

* * *

In his haste, he almost tripped when he realized he was about to pass by his home. He caught himself just in time and shook his head in wonder. He had figured out that the freezing of his body previously was the signal to the release of another characteristic that was sealed off—which was obviously speed. It made him feel rather awkward and disoriented, since it added to his problem regarding inhuman strength.

He managed to unlock and open the front door without destroying it, making him sigh inaudibly in relief. He hoped that meant that he was getting a bit better at gauging his strength. Besides, he _really_ didn't want to have to explain to his mother why and how their front door got off its hinges if he had managed to push too hard.

Taking off his shoes by the door, he called out, "I'm home!" and proceeded to make his way to the kitchen, where he assumed his mother might be. "Why'd you ask me to come back so suddenly, mom? Did something happen?" he asked when he reached the entrance to the dining area.

He was correct in guessing that his mother would be in the vicinity. She smiled brightly when she turned to look at him from setting the table. "Ah, Kaito, welcome home! I probably should have told you but he assured me I didn't have to."

Thoroughly confused now, he queried, "What do you mean?"

Before she could answer, the sound of footsteps padding softly against the wooden floor reached his ears. It was coming from the direction of the kitchen area.

"Chikage-basan? I'm done with the salad. The rice seems to be almost done too."

Kaito's eyes widened. He was sure whose voice that was, but _he_ couldn't possibly be in _this_ house!

A very familiar dark-haired boy appeared from the doorway. He was dressed in a simple white shirt with a blue vest over it. The end of his straight cut pants were folded neatly above the house slippers that covered his small feet. What was most noticeable for the magician was that there were no large spectacles shielding the boy's azure eyes that gained a glint of amusement at the sight of him.

"I was correct in assuming that you wouldn't follow my advice." Edogawa Conan put his arms across his chest. "I do hope you control yourself from showing off idiotic tendencies concerning these serious matters."

Kaito broke out of his surprised stupor to let out an indignant protest. From her position, his mother laughed merrily at his expense.

_To be continued...

* * *

_

_Hm, I seem to have mixed up scenes here...and the other pertinent information. Laying the base for a story has to be one of the most dragging things to do. Well, it's vital and all and I'm still having fun...but there are some parts you just want to get over with when you're writing...bah, I'm being a horrible writer. Meep. Bad Milky. -slaps self silly-_

_Anywho, some things you might be interested in knowing: Shinichi was born on May 4, Kaito on June 21, and Saguru on August 29. Relating that to what I revealed about melics and vampires...I got lucky with the dates XD I have no idea when Toichi's is, nor Yukiko's, so please forgive me -_-_

_As for the aliases (seemed lame, huh?), I chose them partly due to their meanings. 'Conan' (as a Celtic/Gaelic name) means 'wise'; 'Gillian' is 'youthful'; 'Doyle' is something like 'dark foreigner'. Browsing through name meanings is a hobby of mine...as Shadow can attest to. All those names for RP...yeah XD_

_For those who don't know, Chikage was the name they gave for Kaito's mother in the first MK special. So, that, I'm not making up :P_

_If you were suprised about the Shinichi-Saguru moment there...ehem. Let me remind you that the main genre for this fic is romance. I put up a warning for yaoi too, didn't I? If you just don't like the pair...I'll admit, it's technically crack...but I didn't just put that in on a whim, seriously. And there's a reason why I said this was going to be ShinKai. But I can't suddenly make them a pair, you know. That's just boring..._

_If you will note that I mentioned _two_ impersonations, erm...fourteenth movie? -_-_

_Unfortunately, I don't have enough time to put in replies to anonymous reviews at the moment. I think I already replied to some that weren't anonymous but I'm not really sure. I hope you can forgive me. I am rather pressed for time here. So, I'll just mention some things that were asked._

_Shinichi's appearance as himself doesn't directly relate to feeding. It's more of that he gained enough magic to counter the poison in his system. This will probably be explained further in another chapter. No, I am not sure if Kaito knows Leblanc in canon, but as his dad did, I'm assuming they have some books of his at home. Saguru being jealous of Kaito...hm. As for Heiji, I will say that no, he's not a vampire, but he will come in later. No, vampires here do NOT sparkle (oh, God, please, that's just wrong), thankfully._

_To dear SG-chan and Shadow: I'm sorry I didn't show that scene further. You've both been hoping for...a bump in rating XD However, it's not the main pair...and, frankly, it'd take away the focus in this chapter. If you wish to see what happened there...I COULD post somewhere...=P_

_Oh, would you look at the time! I have to go now, bye! -flees-_

_Posted on May 17, 2010_

_P.S. For those who also read __**Amazing Grace**__, the next chapter will be up by tomorrow if I can get a hold of a connection. If not, I'm sure I can go online on Wednesday. Please be patient! Thank you!_

_Edited chapter posted on May 21, 2010, beta by **nataeiy1**._


	5. Chapter 5

_I just realized that I had to post this now unless I want to do it next week. I'm going to have a busy weekend, it seems. There's this swimming thing from my dad's office tomorrow. We'll probably have choir practice on Sunday. Not to mention, I'm going to be working for my mom on Monday so she can go to some agency to get more decent employees (her current ones like to make their own schedules…ugh). Wednesday's the start of enrollment for me so the rest of that week's gonna be hell…oh, the lines I have to stand in!_

_Enrollment in UP can be such a pain. Meep._

_**This chapter has been beta'd**__. Thank you, __**nataeiy1**__ for editing! And thank you to __**tenten32158**__ for the suggestion of printing the chapter to edit it. It was a very helpful advice!_

_Well, I shan't keep you further. I enjoyed writing this chapter very much. I got to tortu—I mean, Kaito's so adorable I just had to do something to him. Teehee._

Translations:  
(O)tou-san—_father  
_(O)kaa-san—_mother_  
(O)jisan—_uncle (not to be confused with _(o)jiisan_)_  
(O)basan—_aunt (not to be confused with _(o)baasan_)  
_Tantei—_detective  
_...ne?—_"...right?"  
_Ba'aro—_something along the lines of 'idiotic git' or 'stupid jerk' (I'm assuming that this is a shortened form of '_baka yarou'_, which is 'stupid jerk' or some such; if I'm mistaken, please correct me) _

_**Warnings:**__ Possible errors and OOC-ness (especially on Kaito's [which is on purpose] and Chikage's [which is not on purpose] parts). Very slight explicit yaoi content (didn't I warn you about this already?). Maybe I should've raised the rating…_

_**Dedication:**__ To __**Shadow's Rage**__ again, for helping me with __you-know-what__. Maybe I should dedicate the whole story to you and get it over with XD_

**Disclaimer:** All characters and elements belong to Gosho Aoyama-sama. I didn't come up with the brilliant idea of shrinking a detective with some complicated poison. And the amazing confrontations between a phantom thief and the shrunken detective. I wonder if Gosho-sama reads LeBlanc...I wouldn't be surprised o.O

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**Moonlit Blood**  
_By Milky Étoile_  
Chapter Five

Kaito tried not to fidget as he sat, waiting for his mother to join him and Conan by the dining table. He wasn't nervous, really. He just felt the same way he did after his first Kudou Shinichi impersonation—oh, who was he kidding?

He was startled by his diminutive rival's chuckling. Warily, he asked, "Anything you find particularly funny… Conan-kun?"

Conan shook his head at his hesitation in his form of address before smirking in his direction. "Have I ever told you that melics can read the thoughts of the vampires they feed?"

Kaito kept his face carefully blank. His thoughts, he found, he couldn't keep the same. Too many things were bothering him.

The detective's laughter was only stopped by his amused mother.

"Shinichi-kun, don't tease Kaito too much," Chikage chided as she set down a plate of stir-fried vegetables on the table before taking a seat. "I know for a fact that melics are no mind-readers."

Bizarre as it was to hear that fact from his mom, Kaito almost heaved a sigh of relief.

"That's just something you picked up from Yuusaku-kun."

So… Conan could _still_ read minds?

He didn't get his answer as Chikage implored them to eat. The knowing smirk on the shrunken teen's features made him uneasy though, so he refrained from thinking of anything significant throughout the meal. It was a particularly difficult task as his mother started to interrogate him.

"Why didn't you tell me you'd gone through your Awakening?" she demanded with a slightly stern, slightly pouting expression (it was hard to distinguish). "Being Kaitou KID, you can keep from me, but being a _vampire_ is a different story."

He decided to ignore her mention of his secret (apparently _not_ so much of a secret) occupation. Curious, he asked, "Are you a vampire too?" Kudou had explained that the only reason he could fathom for Kaito's not knowing of his possible vampirism was that his vampire parent hadn't been able to inform him. So, the magician assumed it was Toichi that he got the Weirdness from.

The woman raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at his query. "Have I ever shown any signs of being a vampire?"

Kaito racked his brains for any particular incidents. He came up blank. "Well, _no_. Are you a melic then?" He threw the detective a curious side glance, noting that the not-child was calmly eating lunch despite the sudden somewhat serious talk.

Chikage frowned slightly at him. "Just because your otou-san was a vampire, it doesn't mean that I have to be magical in any way." Her stern demeanor was back. "Are you implying that Toichi wouldn't have married me if I were a normal person?"

He immediately shook his head and waved his hands to emphasize. "That's not what I meant! I just thought you might be unusual too since you seem to know so much." Or, at least, it was implied that she did.

Her face brightened then and he was graced with her smile. "I see what you mean then. But, really, I'm perfectly normal. Shinichi-kun can attest to that, ne?"

The detective nodded and set down his half-empty rice bowl. "Toichi-jisan revealed everything to Chikage-basan before their wedding… if I'm not mistaken from what I heard from 'Kaa-san."

"Indeed, he did. He was somewhat nervous then because he knew I might turn him away for what he was…" Her features took on a reminiscing expression as she continued to eat.

Kaito wasn't sure what to say to that so he stayed silent as he dug in his food as well. He expected the meal to go on in silence but Chikage struck up a conversation with Conan about people that both of them, apparently, knew. He couldn't fathom how they were so _familiar_ with each other. His mother had even called the detective 'Shinichi' and not Conan! How could she have known something he was sure the melic kept as a secret? That wasn't fair at all, especially since Kaito had to figure out that secret by actually dong an extensive surreptitious investigation.

"Is Bunta-san still selling his potions?" she asked receiving her answer about another person.

Conan nodded. "We gave him a spot in the shopping district that 'Kaa-san started. He's doing quite well."

"Oh, Yuki-chan told me about that! Will you bring me to Mystique some time, Shinichi-kun?"

"I don't see why not. We can head there tomorrow." The detective turned his gaze towards Kaito. "We'll have time if your son manages to get used to his vampiric traits by then."

Kaito stiffened when he felt his mother's eyes on him too.

"Kaito! You better adjust to those characteristics by tonight, you hear?" Chikage demanded with another stern glare. It was evident that she wanted to go o that shopping district as soon as possible.

Left with no other option, he gave a stuttered affirmative response. Conan stayed silent but Kaito could still see the smirk that the detective covered with his tea cup. He glowered at him and received a raised eyebrow in response. Tantei-_kun_ was almost as bad as Tantei-_san_.

* * *

"So, what exactly prompted you to leave the house when I _clearly_ implied that to do so at this point would be dangerous, not just for your wellbeing, but others' as well?"

After the two of them had assisted Chikage in clearing up the dishes in tense silence, Kaito was faced with Conan's deadpanned stare as they sat across each other in the Rec Room. He wondered why that look seemed to be more dangerous than the predatory smirks that he received during Kaitou KID heists.

"Well…" he started, feeling very much like a disobedient child getting a scolding from his parent (which was just a peculiar feeling to get, considering who was doing the scolding). Seeing no reason to lie and correctly assuming that the truth would be very much preferred, he explained how Aoko had forced him to go out with her to see a movie.

"She even put _handcuffs_ on me when I tried to get away with a bathroom excuse!" He wasn't sure why he was so inclined to keep on speaking as he kept his eyes fixed on Conan's azure ones—he just was.

"Escaping is one of your skills," the detective reasoned in a monotone that suggested that either he didn't believe a single thing he was saying or he thought Kaito was a fool. It was probably the latter case. "Why didn't you use it?"

At the question, he tore his gaze away and crossed his arms with an indignant huff. He gave a query of his own. "Would _you_ have if Mouri-san put you in the same situation?" It was a low blow. He probably shouldn't mention the detective's own childhood friend after the stunt he pulled in the airship but he just wanted the other to get off his case.

Conan's left eyebrow twitched, showing that he obviously didn't forget about that. Still, miraculously and thankfully, he dropped the subject for another one. "Well? Do you think you can handle the strength and speed now?"

Kaito wondered at that. He hadn't noticed until now, but he didn't have any problems concerning those ever since he entered the house. He frowned. Could that have been the detective's doing?

"'Kaa-san had mentioned that the mere presence of the vampire's melic would stabilize any problems related to the vampire's supernatural traits." Conan stood and walked towards Kuroba Toichi's portrait. Looking up at it with his hands behind his back, he continued, "So you probably haven't really adjusted, even when it seems like it. I think I can lift some effects of the bond to let you get your traits in control by yourself."

"'Bond'?" Kaito repeated in wonder. "You're… _my_ melic?"

He got another condescending stare in reply. "_Ba'aro._ Wasn't that already obvious? You said you were already halfway through the book and you should have gotten your memory back before anything else. Are you really that much of an idiot?"

Ignoring the insult, the teen recalled certain things.

"_They would only be aware of the bond the moment that the vampire feeds on the melic—"_

_An overwhelming feeling of warmth enveloped him. He didn't know why he suddenly felt it, but he was sure it had something to do with the shorter person he just took blood from._

Kaito's eyes widened. "You _are_!" Then, his eyebrows furrowed. "But I thought you were _Hakuba's_ melic!"

The detective rolled his eyes at him. "You _would_ think that. But it's apparent now that that isn't the case."He sighed and went back to his previous seat. "Right, we should work on your traits before the next one—"

Suddenly, there was a loud buzz that rang in Kaito's ears, prompting him to cover them in an attempt to stop the noise. However, it was in vain and the noise brought about so much pain that he couldn't help but gasp.

"Kuroba…" The call was only faint beyond the overwhelming noise. "Kaito…_Kaito!"_

The noise abruptly stopped, leaving him breathing heavily. The pain he felt was slowly leaving, making him sigh in relief as he closed his eyes. He only then registered that he was on the floor, with his head cushioned in someone's lap. Two small hands were on his ears—

He opened his eyes and sucked in a breath sharply at the sight of Conan's face just inches from his. The detective was gazing at him with what seemed to be worry. Eyes widening, he abruptly attempted to get up, only to bash his forehead hard on the melic's. This earned him another ache _and_ a venomous glare.

"_Ba'aro!_" the detective snapped at him in a whisper that the other still heard clearly. He clutched his forehead with one hand and supported his weight on the floor with the other. "I just took away the pain from your ears and you go and inflict _more_ on yourself. _And_ you just _had_ to affect me as well!"

Kaito felt somewhat chastised and ignored his growing headache as he got up—slowly this time. He was surprised when small, gentle hands helped him in his endeavor.

"Don't try to stand until the headache passes." Conan's voice was still rather soft—perhaps he was _that_ worried? He appeared as if he hadn't just experienced the magician's blunder. "Breathe in and out." Kaito found himself following his whispered instructions in a daze. "Close your eyes and concentrate on nothing but my voice. When I raise it, imagine using a volume control of some sort to regulate how much is comfortable for you to hear."

Complying took him a few minutes, with the melic saying strings of words that he didn't completely pay attention to until he mentioned something that was relevant.

"Now that you've mostly gotten your hearing in control, if you focus hard enough, you would be able to hear sounds from as far as a mile or so. You may open your eyes now."

Following the command, Kaito blinked and met the penetrating gaze of the detective. He wondered if he could turn into ashes from that stare.

Conan cleared his throat and looked away with a slightly uncomfortable expression. "Well, now you should work on the strength and speed. Do you have any exercises that don't involve much weight, space, or effort?"

Minutes later, the detective was regretting asking as he dodged the bright yellow round projectile that had bounced off the ceiling. He was about to give Kaito another glower but was cut off by another ball—orange, this time—that ricocheted off an empty ceramic vase. It sent the vase off its stand and almost reached the floor had Conan not dived to catch it.

"Be more careful!" he snapped at Kaito, who was still juggling at an insane speed. "Your mom will not appreciate—" A stack of CD cases in a corner of the room fell to a rainbow colored ball. "—the destruction of any property!"

Kaito grinned sheepishly at him. A red ball flew towards the ceiling and bounced towards the center table. It ricocheted back to the ceiling and continued to bounce back and forth. "I'm sure she wouldn't—oops—" Another ball had to be replaced as it sailed across the room. "—mind. All for a good cause, right?"

Conan rolled his eyes and caught the bouncing ball before it reached the ceiling once more. He threw it back into the gradually slowing set of rubber balls that the other was still juggling. "Focus on drawing back your strength, you dolt."

Glaring at the detective for the insult, Kaito attempted to do as he was told. Eventually, he managed to prevent any more balls from going out of the sequence. However, his speed was still too fast.

"Will your arms and hands to move slower. At the same time, you must continue controlling your strength."

It took Kaito about half an hour to gain some semblance of control on both strength and speed simultaneously. Thankfully, not much of the room was damaged. Conan sighed and placed the CD case in his hand into the last empty slot of the CD rack.

"While you've managed to disarrange most of the items in this room, your exercise was acceptable for your adjustment." The detective started arranging the books and magazines that had fallen off a low cabinet by the side of the room. He kept an eye on the still-juggling magician as he went about his self-appointed task of cleaning up. "However, you will have to do this or some other exercise often for you to learn and remember how to gauge your strength and speed levels. It shouldn't be difficult to apply gauging for other parts of your body as well. Controlling your traits to be of normal human levels all at the same time is complicated though. In fact, you may notice that you are hearing things from much farther than the vicinity."

Kaito furrowed his eyebrows at the cacophony of sounds he was hearing, now that the melic had mentioned it.

"Block out the other sounds one by one. Don't let your control on your other traits wane." Weirdly enough, Conan's voice rang clear, even with the flurry of noises.

The magician thanked whoever came up with the concept of multi-tasking for being so much help in his current endeavor. He was getting the hang of obstructing the sound from the construction site six blocks away, of conversations from the convenience store down the street, of laughter of children at the park near the house, of the creaking of a bed from the rough movement of the two people on it along with the gasps and groans that he recognized was from their neighbors—

Kaito suddenly willed his ears to stop hearing anything. He couldn't prevent his face from taking on a deep shade of red. Darting his eyes back and forth across the room in an attempt to ignore what he had inadvertently heard, he caught the azure eyes of Conan, who seemed to be trying to convey something that he didn't hear. He took a deep breath then and concentrated on his voice.

"…with you?" the detective was saying with a frown while he cradled a bunch of random items in his arms. "Why'd you stop so suddenly? You almost nailed me on the head!"

The other only then noted that he had stopped tossing the rubber balls, which were now scattered around the room. Quickly asserting the situation, Kaito shook his head and let out a laugh that was just a bit nervous. "No reason at all! I just managed to get it down, I think." He inwardly prayed fervently that the detective didn't have the ability to read his mind.

It seemed that either his prayer was answered or Conan thought it prude not to pry into his brain. He was still looking at him suspiciously though. "Did you hear anything unusual?"

Too cheerfully, Kaito answered, "Nope! Just the construction going on six blocks away. It was starting to give me a headache."

Conan still appeared skeptic but he let the matter drop. "Well, why don't you get off of your butt now and start helping me with cleaning?"

The mention of his butt brought back the sound of the two _men_ who were _still_ at it. His overactive imagination was already providing him with images and making his wits melt in a pile of goo and his face turn a lovely shade of scarlet.

"Oi!"

He was brought out of his stupor by a round object hitting his head. He promptly glared at the short male who had just kicked one of his rubber balls at him.

"If you want to abuse your abilities by practicing some form of voyeurism, don't do it while I'm around, _ba'aro!_"

Kaito's trusty Poker Face managed to keep the blush out of his features. How did he come to that conclusion anyway? He donned an indignant expression and opened his mouth to refute but Tantei-kun beat him to speaking.

"Wipe the drool off your face."

Kaito put a hand to his mouth and glared when he felt none of his saliva there.

"And do something about that—" Conan's eyes went from the other's face to somewhere lower. "—_little_ problem of yours."

When the magician noticed that, indeed, his pants were a bit tight, he couldn't keep the embarrassed blush from his face. He immediately raced out of the room, leaving Conan smirking at his distress.

* * *

Kaito found that he couldn't do anything else but to take a cold shower, even when it was rude to leave a guest alone for a long time, even when the said guest came uninvited. Well, Tantei-kun _asked_ him to do something that, in his opinion, required him to leave anyway.

He groaned and turned the knob for cold water in the shower stall. That, by far, was probably the most humiliating experience he ever had, barring the incidents related to those hated _f-fi—horrible creatures of the sea._ The detective would _never_ let him live this down! He might even tell—oh, God forbid—_Hakuba_!

Thoroughly disliking that train of thought, he wondered _why_ he even got…uh, _turned on_ (just thinking of it was so uncomfortable for him) by those _guys_. He was pretty sure he liked Aoko back in middle school before he eventually realized that it was only a small crush that didn't last for long. There were other females with more…_voluptuous_ figures. Let it not be said that Kaito escaped puberty unscathed.

That aside, he supposed it was just because of _what_ their neighbors were doing.

He immediately regretted recalling that because his hearing seemed to have become attuned to his thoughts. He heard a distinct slap of flesh against flesh before he was able to shut off all sounds again.

What the heck was with those two? They were going at it like rabbits!

Kaito slapped his forehead at the thought. He hoped they didn't plan to do that the _whole_ day…it was just…

Oh, holy crap. The cold temperature wasn't helping anymore. Damn, stupid hormones—

A sharp, stinging sensation shot into his eyes, making him close them and let out a gasp. It grew to become so painful that he began to believe someone was gouging his eyes out—

Suddenly, the pain disappeared, leaving him panting and disoriented on the cold and wet tiled floor of the bathroom. As he got his breathing under control, he noted that the shower was still pelting water droplets at him, giving him some form of comfort. But then, he registered those two hands again, over his eyes, preventing him from opening them. He froze at the realization that his melic was _in_ the shower stall with him while he was as naked as the day he was born.

God, he couldn't be embarrassed further.

A sigh came from his left side, where he felt Conan to be by. The released breath tickled his left ear, making an involuntary shiver run through him. Oh, he was _not_ going to let himself be aroused again, especially when it was _Tantei-kun. _Damn, damn, damn…

Thankfully, Conan seemed to understand that he needed his personal space and moved away. "Apply what you previously did with your hearing, except on your eyes this time."

Kaito truly appreciated the help the detective was giving him, he _really_ did. But he was still in the depths of mortification and he wanted—no, _needed_—to be alone for the time being.

So, with his eyes still shut, he pushed the short male out of the door, careful to draw back his inhuman strength. Once he heard Conan's feet scraping against the wooden floor of the hallway, he pulled back and closed the door with a firm slam.

On the other side of the door, Conan blinked as water dripped from his hair and clothes to the floor. He let out a sigh again. Why did his bonded vampire have to be so high maintenance? He couldn't even prevent himself from doing his duty of aiding in the acclimation of the vampire to his supernatural traits. Their bond demanded that much from him.

With nothing much he could do, he sighed again, this time in exhaustion, and rubbed at his stinging eyes. He made his way to Chikage's room. Knocking on the door when he reached it, he called out, "Auntie? Can you lend me a towel?"

* * *

A couple of hours later, Conan helped Chikage in arranging dinner while listening to her various stories of Kaito's childhood, supposedly as payback for her son's putting him in a drenched state (he didn't refute when she assumed it was the thief's fault). She started telling those to him after she had him changed into Kaito's old clothes, which she had apparently kept after so many years (so the practice wasn't just _his_ mother's).

So, he was now wearing a loose green, long-sleeved shirt with a hood and a pair of light brown pants, the ends of which he had to fold. He inwardly cursed; he really had been shorter than his peers, even _Kaito_ at the age of seven.

He couldn't deny that he was enjoying hearing the various tales of mischief of Kaito's childhood. Apparently, he'd been more than a handful, even at such a young age, just as Conan had assumed. And, as he grew, he only learned to hide his mischievousness and never let go of it.

When they finished fixing dinner, they called Kaito. But he didn't join them and kept himself locked in his room, where he had shut himself in after leaving the bathroom ten minutes after he drove Conan out. Chikage was going to fetch the teen but the detective convinced her that Kaito probably didn't want to risk his other traits being released in her presence since the only ones left aside from his sense of smell were the bloodlust and his fangs. So, instead, Conan offered to bring his share up after the two of them consumed theirs.

Chikage continued to recount various stories; though she laid off the more embarrassing ones this time (Conan suspected it was because she thought it nice of her son to protect her in his own way—if she only _knew_…). He, in turn, regaled her with some amusing experiences with other mythical beings.

Dinner was a pleasant affair for them, considering that this was the first time that they met after a bit less than a decade. Conan didn't find it unusual that he was comfortable with conversing with her. After more than a year of being treated mostly as a child, it was a relief to be talked to as an equal. Besides, he had always felt at ease with her, possibly due to the fact that she never tried to humiliate him, unlike his mother. She was every bit the agreeable aunt for him back then when she visited their mansion with her husband for various matters.

When they were done, Chikage asked him to bring Kaito his food and to leave the cleaning up to her. He agreed and began to head up with the tray but was stopped by the woman.

"It's good that you're helping Kaito with all of this, especially since I can't." She smiled warmly at him. "I thank you very much for that, Shinichi-kun. But I hope you don't forget to look after yourself."

He easily returned the smile and nodded before heading up. When he reached the door to Kaito's room, he carefully set the tray on the floor before knocking. Getting no response, he let out a frustrated groan. Didn't the teen get tired of moping? And for such a small matter too!

"Look, Kuroba," he started and glared at the door since he couldn't direct it to the room's occupant at the moment. "I don't care what the hell you heard to cause that and I don't intend to find out. If you were embarrassed by my barging in on you without warning…well, you wouldn't have heard me anyway with the releasing of the seal. Still, I guess I should apologize." He pinched the bridge of his nose in a vain attempt to reduce his headache. "If you're just going to ignore me though, I'd rather not."

There was still no response. Perhaps he fell asleep.

Conan doubted that though. In some part of his head, he could literally hear the teen's heartbeat thumping steadily at a pace that implied he was awake.

"You're being ridiculous." This time, he used both of his hands to massage his temples. He paused and smirked at a sudden realization. "I don't see why you must be so offended. We're both males and I'm sure other guys have seen you naked before. I, for one, have seen other people in various states of undress. And, frankly, unlike with some of them, there wasn't much to see on you."

There was an indignant squawk from inside and a loud thump against the floor. Conan groaned at the added throbbing on his side. Could the thief get any more careless?

Deciding that he didn't want any more pain passed onto him, he picked up the tray and balanced it on one hand. Then, he pulled out something from a pocket and fiddled with the doorknob. Not a minute later, he pushed open the door and entered without preamble. Looking around the messy room and finding nowhere to properly place the food, he reached the bed and set the tray on it.

Kaito was eyeing him half in surprise and half in annoyance. "What are you doing here? And how did you get in?"

Conan didn't even look back at him as he went back to the door and shut it, locking himself in with the other male. "You're not the only one who can pick locks. As for why I'm here, isn't that obvious at this point?" He turned around and leaned back on the wall beside the door with crossed arms. "I'm assuming you've toned down your sight already."

He nodded and returned to his previous perch on his bed. He promptly dug in the meal he was bought. He was rather hungry.

Kaito wondered at that. He thought vampires only got hungry for blood…

As he ate, he glanced at the detective, who now had his eyes closed. Tantei-kun wasn't moving an inch. If it weren't for the constant rising and falling of the boy's chest, he would have appeared to be a statue—

—wait. His chest wasn't moving rhythmically at all. It was staggered, almost as if he had some trouble breathing.

"Tantei-kun." He pushed aside the tray that was now devoid of food. "Are you all right?"

The detective didn't react visibly for a whole minute, perturbing Kaito greatly. Before he could approach him, he was halted by yet another wave of pain. It was even worse than the previous one; his whole head was aching so much that it felt like it was going to explode!

Thankfully, the pain vanished quicker than it did before. However, similarly, he was sprawled on the floor again, breathing heavily. His head was rested on what seemed to be a pillow. Conan's hands were on his forehead. He opened his eyes tentatively and met the azure gaze of the detective. After a moment of staring, the younger male pulled back to allow him to sit up.

Kaito let out a groan at the faint throbbing still remaining in his head. "I get that the seal's supposed to help me adjust but can't it be released _without_ any pain?" He ran a hand through his already-messy hair. "It's worse than getting bullet shots," he grumbled. When no answer was forthcoming from the melic, he turned to see whatever the reason may be for the silence.

He was surprised when the detective suddenly hunched over, one hand clutching his chest and the other one his head.

"What—"

Before he could finish his query, Conan let out a pain-filled gasp and collapsed. Kaito stilled in shock. He didn't dare to move—

—because Tantei-kun just fainted into his lap.

_To be continued…_

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_Drat. I can't seem to be able to prevent myself from making cliffhangers. Gah. I'm so sorry, __**Shadow's Rage**__, but I tried, I swear!_

_Ehm. Was that too much? This is the longest chapter in this story so far. I think I was high while writing most of this. On what…prolly was those sweets and upbeat songs on my playlist. Rie Fu makes me wanna sing out loud too…o.O_

_Right, onto anonymous review replies!_

_**Mysteryfan17**__, wait…I think I replied to you already XD Congratulations on your new FFN account! Go crazy with the alerts! Sorry about that, __**just anie6142**__. I'm doing revealing the melic stuff gradually. I hope you picked up some of the things I put in this chapter. As for Conan becoming Shinichi…the explanation for that will come in the next chapter, I swear XD *pats your puppy* =3_

_Thanks to all those who reviewed, including __**fan girl666 **__(not sure if I replied to you)__**, unanimous111**__ and the one who said _'YAY!'._ You just made me break my record of 45 reviews for __**I'll Be Home**__. And to those who constantly review for __**Amazing Grace**__ as well…oh, 61 reviews for four chapters and so many favorites and alerts…I feel so loved! Thank you, thank you, __**thank you!**_

_Please continue reviewing! You really encourage me so much. I would love to keep hearing from you, even just to point out my mistakes._

_I will have to apologize if the next update for this comes in only the week after the next. As I have mentioned, next week is quite hectic for me. And classes will be starting next, next week too, which might also mean less updates. As you all know though, school must come first. I hope you understand._

_Thank you again. See you whenever!_

_Posted on May 28, 2010._

_Edited chapter posted on June 25, 2010, beta by __**nataeiy1**__._


	6. Chapter 6

_Ugh. I feel so deprived now. My email is full of story alerts that I have yet to read. I can't seem to be able to find the time to properly sit down to type what I've already written on paper. I'm being forced to write why I need morals for Ethics & Values class. The chemistry pavillon was set ablaze, forcing all chemistry classes to be stopped until this week (no laboratory classes for those who have though). We set up a surprise party for our mom's 50th birthday, requiring us to put effort in both the preparations as well as keeping her out of the loop (which we were successful—she didn't even notice that our keyboard was only made of piled books covered with a blanket XD—we had to bring the keyboard for performances). Our relatives from Oklahoma came and will be leaving soon so we went to quite a few excursions to make their stay worthwhile. I'm also taking review for all my past math in order to get me back to the level I was in before I ignored the subject in favor of others. And, while geology is a really interesting subject, economics isn't really something I can be truly intrigued with outside of how it would relate to my major. And, I'm rambling when I should be doing my homework..._

_Aside from those I mentioned above and my various responsibilities in my family and school, nothing else could warrant me an excuse from posting my updates. I gave a warning previously but I didn't expect to become this busy. I hope you can forgive me._

_As such, I cannot clearly predict when I can post the next chapters. The issue doesn't lie with writer's block or anything of the sort. It's more of real life getting in the way. I'm sure you can all understand the importance of prioritizing._

_I may have mentioned this previously but I probably should say it again: __**I WILL NOT ABANDON THIS STORY OR AMAZING GRACE**__. I enjoy writing both stories. Really. Imagining and writing scenes for both are possibly the only things keeping me sane throughout the fast pace that things are going._

_One good thing coming out of this would be the fact that my muse is overcompensating my lack of fanfiction sustenance (LOL XD) by providing it herself. This is pretty much how both stories came into being as they are so you should expect more interesting things to go on._

_Now, I should stop dawdling and leave you to read. I daresay that certain people may find this chapter intriguing...It seems I haven't had enough of embarrassing dear Kai-chan...-giggles-_

**Dedication:** To **tenten32158**, for her wonderful reviews. To **Shadow's Rage**, for all the help she provides (well, you're having fun XD). To **nataeiy1**, for beta-ing. To **Madame of All Manga**, for being patient and actually giving me long replies. To **Cheshire XIII**, because…blah XD -shot-

**Disclaimer:** All characters and elements belong to Gosho Aoyama-sama. A very belated happy birthday to him and Kaito! -throws confetti-

**Warning:** Implied things included. Nothing graphical…but this story is rated T for a reason.

**Pertinent Information:**

Matured red blood cells live for about 100-120 days before they die and are broken down some time after so the components (i.e. iron) can be reused in the body.  
The radial artery is the main is the main blood vessel that carries oxygenated blood in the forearm. It has branches in the forearm, one of which has a palpable pulse.  
Kansai is part of the Western region of Japan and the Osaka prefecture is part of it.

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**Moonlit Blood**  
_By Milky Étoile_  
Chapter Six

"What the...?"

"Oh, right. Permanent link."

"You're _here_ and that is all you can say? What happened to you?"

"Just a small mishap. Nothing to worry about."

"How can your current state be 'nothing to worry about'?"

"Because I'll be fine in a few. Give me a moment or two to recover."

"You are sufficiently out of your mind."

"Isn't that putting the situation too literally?"

"And you said _I_ was hopeless?"

"Ah, yes, I do recall saying that. I'm not catching your drift at the moment though."

"I'm not having this conversation with you. I'll give you a transfer."

"Are you going to do it just so you can get another from me?"

"I don't need to answer questions that you present when you're in this state. If you don't send a message in five, I'll look—"

"Don't. I'm safe and I'd rather not have to deal with your presence in here, of all places."

"I think I know the place. I don't really care. You're _clearly_ not safe."

"I am. Don't worry too much."

"I cannot help it, as you know."

"And I'm thankful for that, truly. But I'll be fine."

* * *

Kaito really wasn't sure what he ought to be worried about: Conan, for suddenly collapsing, or himself, for being put in his current position, in which the melic's face was literally in his lap. The earlier…_incident_ didn't aid him in any way.

Resolving that it was more important to do something about the unconscious pseudo-child, he carefully lifted Conan into his arms. He then shoved the blankets aside with his foot and set him on his bed. Absent-mindedly, he removed the detective's slippers and tucked him under the blanket. He moved the tray to the floor, adding to the few items scattered there. He turned back to the melic to look for any indication of his condition, and found that he didn't have to enhance his sight to see properly in his darkened room. It was probably due to the stabilizing effect of the bond, now that Conan wasn't holding it back. He wasn't even having any problems with any of his characteristics.

He frowned. What could have happened to Conan? He wasn't feverish when Kaito laid a hand on his forehead to check. He wasn't even breathing hard anymore. He looked as if he just fell asleep so suddenly and so deeply since he didn't wake when shaken. Could he have some sort of disease that caused that kind of reaction?

Kaito considered the possibility that he could be cursed. Didn't Koizumi make some sort of voodoo doll for him before just to force him to comply with her whims? That experience was beyond unnerving and quite painful. In fact, the pain he felt then was only second to the ones he felt for the releasing of the seal—

His indigo eyes widened. If _he_ felt that as the one who had his traits sealed, could the melic have gone through it as well for being the one who cast the spell for it?

It was possible. And that could have been the reason for his loss of consciousness. A child's body would have a lower tolerance for pain.

He noticed a faint prickling coursing through his body. It didn't hurt at the moment, but the feeling was growing. Before he could pinpoint the source though, it disappeared abruptly. Then, he heard a groan. He immediately leaned over the melic.

"Tantei-kun?" he queried as the detective stirred. "Are you all right?"

Slowly, Conan opened his eyes. After glimpsing the other's openly-worried expression, he shut his eyes again and attempted to sit.

"You shouldn't—" Kaito's protest died on his lips at Conan's glare. He settled for assisting him with getting up, moving the pillows so they could be leaned on as well. When the melic was comfortably settled in a sitting position on his bed, he thought to ask, "What just happened?"

Conan's expression revealed nothing but a bit of weariness. "Just tired," he muttered and turned away.

"Tired people don't clutch their head and chest in pain before losing consciousness," Kaito countered in a deadpanned tone that earned him a flinch from the other. "Were you feeling the pain too?"

The detective whipped his head towards him abruptly. "How did you—" He stopped in mid-sentence and appeared appalled that he said that much. He let out a groan and buried his face into his hands with an uttered curse.

Kaito didn't feel any satisfaction from being right. "Tantei-kun?" He wasn't sure if he should ask if he was still feeling hurt—the pseudo-child's slightly-labored breathing was a telltale sign already. Hesitantly, he put a palm on his back to offer some marginal comfort. He succeeded only in making the melic tense beneath his hand. So, he reluctantly pulled back his arm.

Conan sighed and looked at him through his parted fingers. "I might as well tell you." His voice was muffled by his palms so he removed them from his face. "The bond passes negative sensations from the vampire to the melic. Pain is the most prevalent that is transferred."

Alarmed at that effect of the bond, Kaito exclaimed, "You feel _all_ my pain? I thought—what?" He paused when the other slapped his forehead.

"You only guessed that I'm feeling the consequences of releasing the seal." He groaned and buried his face into his hands again. "This damn bond is screwing with my mind…"

It was Kaito's turn to narrow his eyes. "You weren't even _planning_ on telling me _that_?" The detective visibly winced at his sharp tone. "How do I prevent that from being passed onto you?" he demanded. The bond sounded like it was a great limit to his privacy, but he was more concerned that it caused Tantei-kun harm.

"You can't," Conan mumbled while rubbing at his eyes.

"You're lying," Kaito accused with a glare.

Conan looked up to him sharply and returned his gaze evenly. "What makes you say that?"

"I can tell," he replied. His voice was firm, even when _he_ was only bluffing.

It was a testament to the melic's exhaustion that he broke their staring contest and slumped back into the pillows behind him with his eyes shut. "It's unnecessary information. You don't need to wonder about things like those." It was admittance, albeit an unwilling one.

Kaito scowled in irritation. "It _isn't_ unnecessary when _you're_ affected to that extent."

Obviously, Conan was getting annoyed too with his persistence. "What is important now is that you get your traits in control—" he opened his eyes to glower at him, "—which you are _not_ doing at the moment."

"But that isn't—"

"It _is_ vital that you do this as fast as you can." There was a flash of what seemed to be anger in the detective's blue eyes that vanished as quickly as it appeared. "Do you really want to put people around you in danger?"

Kaito frowned. "No, but if you don't tell me now, you'll feel the pain again when—"

He was stopped by another wave of pain. Unlike the previous ones that affected only parts of his body, this one covered everything—it was like his whole being was getting stabbed with a thousand metal, red-hot pokers as sharp as injection needles. The feeling was far more intense than the other ones.

When the pain disappeared abruptly, he was left on the carpeted floor panting.

"Would you be able to master your characteristics while feeling that kind of pain?"

He sat up and looked at the detective. Conan was sweating profusely and breathing hard, but his gaze was still as penetrating as ever.

Kaito considered the question. Truthfully, he knew he probably wouldn't be able to. Normally, he could ignore the feeling while doing whatever task he was supposed to do. Now, however, the degree of the pain was too great to be disregarded.

"If you were to learn how to prevent the pain or any other feeling from being passed onto me now, you wouldn't be able to do what you must," Conan explained as he leaned back against the pillows. "As you are too stubborn for your own good, I _will_ tell you what you wish to know, but only _after_ you learn to control your characteristics to a constant, laudable extent. So, if you want to take back the burden that is yours, you better hurry."

The magician still thought the whole thing unfair but he could do little about it. So, he said with a determined air, "Lift the stabilizing effect of the bond..._now_."

* * *

Kaito managed to convert all his pent-up stress, frustration and, not to mention, embarrassment into determination for his difficult endeavor of commanding almost all of the traits he was supposed to have as—he could finally, at least, think of himself—a vampire.

So, approximately a mere fifteen minutes later, he found himself grinning smugly at the astonished and impressed Conan, who had been carefully monitoring his progress via (according to the detective) their link.

"…only a bit of pull left…" the pseudo-child was muttering to himself with a disbelieving shake of his head. "Even Saguru took a couple of hours to gain this level of control, even if only temporarily."

Predictably, Kaito felt like preening for that. He probably _would_ have done so if he wasn't the owner of an excellent poker face. He estimated that he was now back to being above Hakuba after the past week damaged his almost-perfect record of being the better person…

He was sure that if the melic really had the ability to read his mind, he would roll his eyes at him for his silly attitude. The magician consolidated himself by telling himself that competitiveness was a healthy trait to have, even if it went beyond normal boundaries. There was just something about the blond that rubbed him the wrong way, really.

Bringing his mind back to the present, he became clearly aware of how tentative his control was. He was sure that, by now, the other was beginning to feel greater fluctuations that resulted from the resistance of the inherent traits to limiting. Apparently, that wasn't enough to deter Conan's new respect for him.

"According to 'Kaa-san, Toichi-jisan took about thirty minutes to accomplish what you have now." He leaned back and let a surge of his magic pass through their link to stabilize the consequence of his comment to the other's control. It was probably due to his mention of the phantom thief's predecessor. "However, you will need to get used to doing this constantly, if you wish to continue living the life you are leading now. So, it would probably best to take a leave from your classes temporarily to completely acclimate to these changes. In fact, knowing your mother, Chikage-basan might be making arrangements for it now."

Kaito was brought out of his stupor at the mention of 'taking leave from classes'. As evidence to his normalcy, despite his own (and others') allegations, he was gleeful at the prospect of skipping school, much like any typical student that wasn't a nerd would be. But the suggestion to do so for the sake of becoming used to his unusual characteristics implied that, even with his great progress, he would be a fool to believe that he could let himself think that he could easily gain power over them. While he was quite miffed that the detective might be undermining his ability to go against the standards, he knew to trust Conan to be able to measure what he would be able to do, regardless of his dubious knowledge of their link and everything else supernatural. He figured that he could just prove himself capable of surpassing the melic's expectations, like he had just done.

The silence that encompassed them as Kaito pondered the situation and Conan rested was neither awkward nor comfortable. Considering that they were usually on opposite sides and trying to outsmart the other at every opportunity, it could be seen as almost pleasant, if either of them paid mind to it.

Unfortunately, the quiet didn't last long enough.

Kaito let out a gasp when he felt his heart thump heavily in his chest. He became only slightly aware of how his pulse was quickening as he gained an odd feeling in his head. It was almost as if he was experiencing a migraine and light-headedness at the same time—though, strangely, it didn't hurt. He tried to push aside the sensation but found that he couldn't. He was overwhelmed by the pumping of blood in his veins in a much accelerated pace combined with the sudden sharpening of his senses as he lost the faltering control he held on them.

He could clearly hear the beating of someone else's heart. He could almost _smell_ the blood that was regulated by that vital organ, even when it was beneath layers of skin. That heartbeat was weaker than his and the breathing that came along with it was labored. He thought—he _knew_—he could easily overpower whoever was the owner of that pathetic heart with his great strength. He knew he could pin down that person effortlessly beneath him. He could bend over that person before they could react. He would see the exciting fear clearly flashing in his prey's eyes before he would sink his teeth into smooth skin and soon taste that delicious, glorious, sweet red liquid—

"_Snap out of it, you idiot!"_

Kaito found himself forced to return to reality and freeze in his spot. He had to clear his mind of the strange trance that had consumed him. It was almost similar to what he had experienced previously, during his Awakening, only at a greater scale. In the part of him that remained somewhat logical, he assumed that the melic-vampire link had stabilized what he recognized as bloodlust. He was slightly assured that the release of that trait hadn't involved any pain that would've been passed onto—

His previously darkened indigo eyes widened when he felt warm air tickling his nape. It was after an unconscious shiver and gasp that he realized the position he was in.

He was pinning Conan against his bed's headboard with his hands on the boy's wrists and his knees trapping the other's short legs on the mattress. What was more shocking was that he was currently leaning over him with his lips parted only less than half a centimeter away from the melic's neck.

Horrified greatly for the nth time since the day started, Kaito was only a blur when he dashed to the farthest place he could possibly get from the other in his locked bedroom. In his mortification, he almost failed to notice the detective rubbing a hand against the spot Kaito had ghosted over with his lips only a moment before. When Conan groaned in what appeared to be defeat and took away his hand from his neck, the magician felt his dignity drop a few more notches at what he saw.

There was a distinct red imprint that was clearly caused by a bite to the slightly tanned skin. It wasn't bleeding—which he couldn't completely determine to be a good thing, much to his chagrin—but the mark was sure to stay on the melic's neck for quite a while. It was what most would consider a _hickey_.

This caused him to consider locking himself up somewhere else again, but before he could act on it, the detective discouraged him from any attempts.

"Don't even think of getting out now, when your final distinctive trait is supposed to be released at any time. Need I remind you that your mother is just in her room and would be vulnerable to any unintentional attack you make while under the complete influence of bloodlust?" He compounded the seriousness of the situation with a somber expression and a gesture to the imprint on his neck. "Do you want to do this to her with _sharp_ fangs?"

Kaito paled at the thought of injuring or, even—heaven forbid—killing her while under that trance. While he was assured that the melic would prevent him from doing either, he was deeply struck by the reality and extent he could hurt someone unsuspecting.

Kudou had repeatedly stressed this before but it was only sinking in now…

"Look," Conan started, drawing Kaito's attention to him. "You're not the first one who reacted this way to the release of bloodlust. And I understand just how it can consume a vampire so I don't begrudge you for it. What remains now is for you to drop the issue. This is likely to happen some other time in the future—your biting due to bloodlust." He watched the blush cover Kaito's features with an amused visage. "Really, you're supposed to _bite_ me to take your sustenance before your body decides to unleash your bloodlust fully."

He took that as the perfect opportunity for a distraction from that rather embarrassing act (accepting he was a vampire was one thing—having to do something so _intimate_ because of being such was a different one altogether). "Does that mean bloodlust isn't actually constant?"

Conan obviously picked up on his avoidance of the topic, if the smirk on his features was to be the indication. He let it slide for the moment though. "To be specific, it's the level of bloodlust that varies. The _Treatise_ explains it in more detail, but, basically, bloodlust is caused by the release of certain hormones that are only present in vampires. Those hormones, much like others, are constantly in the bloodstream. The rate of the release of those hormones is inversely proportional to the rate of breakdown of red blood cells."

Kaito blinked. He didn't entirely understand the implications of that (the 'breakdown of red blood cells'—he only knew they died…or something) but he ventured, "So, the longer I go without…_drinking_, the greater the bloodlust?" When the detective nodded, he fixed him with a deadpanned expression with a matching tone. "Why didn't you just say so in the first place?"

The melic turned away with crossed arms and a slightly petulant look. "Well, _excuse me_ if I hang out with scientists…"

The magician decided to return the earlier favor and refrained from commenting. "What about the—um—fangs?" At the inquiring glance he received, he elaborated his question, "Are they directly related to bloodlust too?"

Conan shook his head. "Not when you learn to retract them at will. When you gain full control over that, along with your other traits, only a high level of bloodlust can mess with the balance you establish with them." He stared pointedly at the other with his sharp blue eyes. "I hope this knowledge makes you avoid neglecting what you must do, embarrassing as it may be to you."

Kaito idly wondered why his poker face only worked half the time he was with this certain detective. It was probably because of that damned bond. "Well—"

He was stopped by a sudden ache, concentrated on his teeth, more specifically, his fangs. Thankfully, it didn't hurt much. It was almost like his fangs were being pulled out. Not that it wasn't painful, but the feeling was nothing compared to the previous ones.

"I think I'll let you keep your toothache." Conan looked content to lean back into the rearranged pillows behind him. "I'm sure you can ignore it in favor of learning to hide your fangs."

At the mention of those teeth, Kaito cautiously felt for them with his tongue. It was rather surreal for him, he found, to be able to feel the unusual sharpness of those teeth. The lingering pain kept him aware of how real it was though. Incredibly intrigued now, he tentatively poked one of them with a finger—and winced when he managed to nick the digit. The tooth was sharper than a knife!

His eyes were drawn to his bleeding index finger. He was stunned when a red glow suddenly came out of the wound. He didn't even blink when the small gash closed in a manner akin to that of a closing zipper, except with red sparks included. It wasn't long until the only trace of the wound left was the line of blood that ran down to the base of his finger.

He hadn't even realized that he was staring at the red liquid until a short arm blocked it from his view. Dazed still for a reason he couldn't fathom, he looked towards the sighing melic.

"You really are an idiot." The detective's voice held a resigned tinge to it. "You're shortening the already-short time you have before you have to feed again…so you might as well partake now."

_That_ took Kaito out of his weird stupor. _"What?"_

Conan rolled his eyes at him and raised his wrist to Kaito's face. "Just drink _now_ before your bloodlust resurfaces earlier than expected. At least, this way, you won't be attacking your mother if she somehow got even just a paper cut."

Kaito mustered enough of his aggravation to glare at the pseudo-child. That wasn't fair, bringing in his mom to force him to do something. He understood why he needed to do it…but did Conan have to make it appear almost like some sort of hostage situation in some twisted way?

The detective leveled him with a fiercer glower, making Kaito almost forget how pained he probably still was. "Just. Do. It. _Now._" He punctuated the command by putting his wrist near the other's lips.

The magician prevented himself from recoiling at the limb thrust to him. He considered doing what Conan was asking—well, _ordering_, really—him to do. He didn't have much of a choice in the matter.

So, he slowly took the offered arm and held it awkwardly with his two hands. He turned to Conan, at a loss for what exactly he was supposed to do.

The melic let out a sigh at the uncertain glance he received. "Just bite the skin directly above the radial artery bra—" He coughed at the blank look on Kaito's face. "I mean, where you feel my pulse. You know enough to do that, right?"

Kaito almost scowled at him for the implied insult. Did the detective expect him to memorize human anatomy down to the specific veins?

Pushing aside his irritation, he looked for the pulse on the other's wrist with two fingers. When he found it, out of habit, he began counting. He realized that the rate was inconsistent and slow for a child's. He looked back at the melic, who appeared bored and stared somewhere outside the window. Kaito turned back to the wrist, somewhat worried. Wouldn't his biting into the flesh hurt the detective?

As if sensing his dilemma, Conan said, "To a melic, a vampire's bite is nothing more than an injected needle meant to draw blood." He continued to gaze outside as he continued, "It would heal almost instantly with what would be poisonous to most—the vampire's saliva." When Kaito remained unmoving, he turned to him with a blank expression. "Other vampires have done what you are about to do before, as Saguru can attest. Do you really think I would die from a single bite?"

Kaito had to admit—with the many dangerous situations the detective got himself in, he was still alive. And, with the magic that the teen now knew the pseudo-child possessed, he almost thought Conan could probably be immortal or something. It wouldn't be too far of a stretch.

But another part of his mind protested that he would _still_ be hurting his rival, even if only a bit. Wasn't it his policy that no one was supposed to be hurt?

Another voice reasoned that he wasn't in a heist so he shouldn't worry about that.

Yet another commented that it was a moot point anyway, since most of the pain he felt earlier had already been passed onto the melic. Didn't that already count as hurting?

The (seemingly) older teen wanted to hit his head on something hard again. He was really going crazy with all the madness, if his internal arguments with himself were to be an indication.

Pushing everything to the back of his mind, he sunk his teeth into the melic's wrist without preamble and, instinctively, began to suck.

There was only one word to describe the act: intoxicating.

With every sip of the red liquid, he felt empowered. With every metallic taste of the blood, he felt more and more like he could do anything he wished. The strength he was gaining was so invigorating! And, it wasn't just the power—there was _pleasure_ too. It was enthralling and captivating. There was nothing that could match the feeling with anything in the world. It was almost like a sexual release, except it had a much greater degree of gratification. In the back of his mind, he wondered just how blissful it would be to experience this kind of pleasure coupled with the sexual act.

"_That's enough."_

Abruptly, it all stopped. But the feeling still lingered in his whole being. It was like there were sparks coursing through his body, leaving him more content than he ever was.

Then, he felt a trickle of blood touch his lips. It was enough to bring some coherence to his pleasure-addled mind. He looked at the thin wrist he still held and the bleeding marks on it. His eyes followed the length of the arm until they met another set of orbs. He stared intently at the carefully blank expression on the melic's features for a whole moment before bringing the wrist to his lips once more without breaking his gaze. Instead of biting as he had done previously, he slid his tongue on the wounded skin. He continued to lick the wrist, even when the blood was no longer coming out of the holes formed by his teeth. He only stopped when the arm was drawn back forcefully. He then gave the detective a petulant pout.

Conan rolled his eyes at him and pulled out a handkerchief from a pocket. He then proceeded to wipe the wrist that was wet with Kaito's saliva. "You didn't have to lick my wrist that much. It will heal completely in a moment." He finished wiping and tucked the cloth away from where he pulled it. "I suppose I should thank you for speeding up the process." He raised his arm again and showed the vampire that the holes were closing up.

The sight of that cleared Kaito's head a bit more. "Healing properties?" he asked, a bit dreamily. His body was still warm with the bliss he experienced.

The melic shook his head. "Sort of, but only for melics." He sighed once more at the glazed look on Kaito's features. There was no use getting him to learn to sheath his fangs when he was high on blood. Conan almost let out a snort. Only vampires could get high on blood, more specifically, on melic blood. It was so much like alcohol or sugar for them that it was considered a special treat for those who had no contact with melics who were willing to share their blood. And, nowadays, it was rare to find agreeable melics…

Conan snapped himself out of his musings and started the arduous task of getting Kaito into bed while he was inebriated. Thankfully, the other had enough sense to carry his own weight and only needed to be guided to the bed, where he promptly fell onto heavily. His eyes closed even before his head hit the pillow.

The detective pulled the blanket from under Kaito without moving him (he had enough practice and magic really helped). With a roll of his eyes at the goofy grin on the vampire's face, he tucked him in and adjusted the blanket when Kaito moved to lie on his side, facing the window. Conan shook his head in a mix of exasperation and resignation. Sometimes, he really had to wonder why he went as far as to take care of the ones he fed. Maybe it was because of his blood that was keeping them alive?

Well, there was no use pondering over something so inconsequential now. He needed to ensure everything would be prepared for the next day.

And he _really_ needed to get proper rest before other people get on his case.

* * *

The next day found Kaito staring at himself in the mirror of the upstairs bathroom. He had been trying to retract his fangs for more than half an hour now, since he had woken up by nicking himself accidentally on a lip with one of his sharp fangs. So far, he had only managed to pull them back by about a centimeter. He messed up his hair in frustration. This was almost harder than trying to control his other traits simultaneously! At least, with that, he already had an idea how to do it from the advice Conan had given previously.

He had contemplated asking the melic about it earlier but, due to many things (pride and embarrassment part of them), he hadn't felt inclined to do so. Besides, he didn't even know where the detective was now. For all he knew, Conan could be back at the Mouri residence already.

Then again, he had promised Chikage that he would take her to Mystique. And Conan wasn't the type to break a promise, even when Kaito still had one trait to learn to control.

His thoughts strayed to the previous night. He recalled what happened, mostly, but everything was somewhat fuzzy from the point that he bit the melic. He only recalled feeling extremely invigorated.

He scratched the back of his head. He couldn't even remember when he'd gotten into his bed. He shrugged. Maybe he'd remember the headache he has disappears. For the moment, he concentrated on pulling back the fangs and, after a minute, managed to make no progress at all. He let out a groan of frustration. What was he doing wrong?

"What you should do is to imagine your fangs becoming like they were before."

Kaito almost jumped when he heard that familiar voice come from behind him. He whirled to see Conan close the door and walk towards the shower stall with a yawn. Feeling quite offended, especially when he only had a flimsy towel cover his private parts, he hotly demanded, "How—_what are you doing here?_"

Conan spared him a sleepy glance before stepping inside the stall. "You were taking too long. Chikage-basan wants to head out around ten and it's already nine-thirty." With that, he pulled the dark blue shower curtain close. "Trying to pull back your fangs literally will get you nowhere. You will have to morph them to take the same shape they had before. That entails using your imagination and will."

The magician heard the rustling of clothes from behind the curtain, indicating that the melic was taking them off. It made him recall the more embarrassing parts of the previous day. A deep blush made its way to his face right at the same time that he heard the shower running. Did that detective really have no sense of modesty?

Seeing as he couldn't drive the pseudo-child out without witnessing the other naked, Kaito fled to his room, shutting the doors he passed through loudly. Once he was sure that his bedroom door was locked with the numerous mechanisms he had built into it, he hurriedly got himself into a pair of grey cargo pants and a white printed shirt with a brown vest over it. After running a hand through his still-wet hair, he decided to forget about the earlier incident and tried to follow Conan's instructions.

It didn't even take him a minute. It aggravated the teen even more. Why did that damn melic have to be always right?

* * *

When Kaito went down to join his mother for breakfast, Conan was already dressed and seated in the same seat he was in the previous day, sipping coffee. The vampire winced at the sight of the bitter beverage being drunk black.

"Ohayou, Kaito!" Chikage came into the dining room with a plate loaded with bacon and eggs. "I heard from Shinichi-kun here that you've managed to learn to control your characteristics already—faster than your father was able to!" She set the plate down in the middle of the table and promptly hugged her son. "I'm so proud of you!"

Kaito was able to prevent another blush from creeping onto his face when she started to rub her cheek against his while rattling on about how glad she was. It was touching, really, but it was more embarrassing than anything, especially when Conan didn't even bother to hide his amused smirk.

"'Kaa-san!" Trying to get himself loose from Chikage's grip seemed impossible as he didn't want to use his enhanced strength. "I get it already! Let me go!"

That, apparently, was all it took for her to release her hold on him. She smiled at him and attempted to fix his messy hair before he swatted her hands away. Her expression didn't change as she ordered him to eat quickly so they could head out already. Grumbling his agreement, he sat in his assigned seat and dug in.

It was mostly a peaceful breakfast, with only Chikage and Conan making small talk (Kaito still felt miffed). However, they were interrupted when the doorbell suddenly rang.

Taking it as a chance to regain some of his dignity, he mumbled, "I'll get it," before making his way to the front door. It couldn't be Aoko—she already had her own key to the house since she came by so often. He scratched the back of his head before opening the door with a mustered-up grin. "Good morning! What can I do for you?"

He certainly didn't expect a faintly-familiar female who was about his age with a build similar to Aoko's, except with toned arm muscles visible due to her sleeveless, pale yellow turtleneck. Her beige shorts showed off her slender legs and black rubber shoes. She had a slight tan and a heart-shaped face that was framed with reddish-brown hair pulled up into a high ponytail with a scarlet red ribbon. Her eyes were large and her irises were of sea green in color. When she spoke, her speech carried a distinctive accent that came from Kansai.

"Good mornin'!" she greeted with a polite bow. "Sorry ta bother you, but is Edogawa Conan here?"

He was quite confused how she could have known about the miniature detective's presence in his household but he didn't show it. Instead, he was about to reply when Conan himself came so suddenly from behind him, almost making him jump in surprise.

"Kazuha?" Conan addressed the girl with a frown. "What are you doing here?"

_To be continued…_

* * *

_I feel so evil. I can't help myself from putting in cliffhangers every single time…and I don't really know why XD It's just too fitting XP_

_If you're going to ask about Kazuha…I was seriously surprised that she appeared too. I mean, I had a bit of a warning when my muse got the idea to include her so suddenly for a certain purpose. But that didn't come to me until I started writing this chapter three weeks ago. But…she just fit herself into the plot. I couldn't do anything about it XD_

_I'm also doing what most other authors are doing, in terms of making the accent evident in speech. I hope you don't mind. I barely showed that in this chapter. It would be more obvious in the next one n.n  
_

_On another note, it's not supposed to be KaiShin yet at this point but I couldn't help but put in clear hints. Though I'm sure you are all aware that this is going into that direction, I felt that those needed to be included to move the plot along even just a bit. Teehee._

_Nyaha. The 'class leave' came to me at the spur of the moment. My muse wouldn't let go of the idea once she had her hands on it, much like with Kazuha. Besides, I needed a catalyst...-hint-_

_The next chapter is already in the works. I just need the time to finish it, tweak some things and find the time to type it. Parents are forbidding much computer use at home so I have to resort to renting at internet cafes and using up my free internet time in the library. Hopefully, you'd be able to read it soon enough._

_Excuse me while I freak out at the amount of reviews, favorites and alerts this story has now._

…_okay, done freaking out. This is honestly astounding. I never expected this much feedback when I decided to post this story! Thanks to all of you! Now, onto review replies! I don't recall replying…so I'll just put in everything here since I lack time…_

_**fan girl 666**__, I know, I'm sorry. I'm just mean with cliffies XD  
Thank you, __**A Smiling Cat**__, and, yes, poor Kaito XD This chapter should have revealed what happened to Conan.  
Oho, __**Renkin-chan**__, wasn't that fun? XD I know I'm evil, __**Cheshire XIII**__ made me admit it already (-sticks out tongue-).  
__**Shingo-sama**__, if my alerts are to be trusted, you _have_ been keeping yourself busy. Your drabble series is LONG!  
Yes, your puppy is nice, __**just anie6142**__, but do watch him XD I am still unsure whether I will be changing the rating or now. You will find out soon enough, I suppose…  
Lol, I still owe you a long reply, __**Madame of all Manga**__. No, I don't know if it's subbed yet, as I may have mentioned to you previously. I only read spoilers XP Really, I don't mind your rambling. Have you decided whether to take that food science course yet?  
Dear __**meow556**__, you posed an interesting question. KaiShin or ShinKai? Oho~ we shall see!  
I am curious with your theory, __**MsBenzedrine**__, so, if you have time, perhaps you can tell me through a private message? XD I felt sorry for Kaito too, but I was more amused after writing that scene 8D  
I assure you, __**Mysteryfan17**__, I will not drop either story.  
I'm glad you find it intriguing, __**kuroange1**__! Nyaha…  
Well, it has been revealed, __**simply anonymous**__, but if it wasn't clear, then, yes, he has. Thank you for your review! I was glad to hear that I did okay…but I still don't trust myself much 8P  
Osm face, __**Cheshire XIII**__ XD Glad you squee'd. I so want to see his face too XDDDDDDDDDDDDD  
__**Ginshi-chan**__, I don't feel neglected, really. I'm glad you took the time to review this too now. I'm glad you love the story!  
Hope you don't go and bite someone else to drink their blood, __**Kairi's-twin**__. You might get into trouble XD If you've read the chapters beyond the first one, you would already know what a melic is n.n_

_**Shadow's Rage**__, characters going at it…wat. MON! Be patient, dear. I already told you what I was considering for those parts, didn't I? XDDD Aren't you having fun 8D_

_I recently sent my reply to your long review, __**tenten32158**__. I really thank you for your critique. I'm really touched! It's something to look forward to._

_Wow…so many o.O I feel…I don't know anymore. I'm just overwhelmed. THANK YOU!_

_For those waiting for the sixth chapter of __**Amazing Grace**__, I have yet to finish typing it. I think I can have it up by next week. Well, I hope. Life is getting really busy…-sighs-_

_I look forward to your reviews! See you next time then!_

_Posted on June 25, 2010._

_Edited chapter posted on June 29, 2010, beta by __**nataeiy1**__._


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